


Only Him, No One Else

by LucidCat



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: "It's the journey that counts, Attempting to not go OOC, Beautiful MC, But I was sad while writing it, Character Development, F/M, Generally follows main plot but with some flair, Gets better tho, I might regret posting this, I've had this in my drafts for a while, Physically Incapable to an Alarming Extent, She can't use magic, She's bad at directions, Spoilers, That's what my English teacher said, but it's also not her body so it doesn't count, it's not supposed to be angst, not the destination"
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28602756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucidCat/pseuds/LucidCat
Summary: This is the tale of Yuneri and her relationships with twenty-one men. Whether they love her, hate her, or disregard her existence, nothing will change.After all, in the end, she will leave the world, severing all ties with all whom she meets. The only memories will be fleeting as they disappear into the great void, Yuneri walking the path of another life.This is not a story of an everlasting love. In this world, there is only a mutual understanding of determination and fierce competition. Of course, this is but only a small part of Yuneri's life.Even when she leaves, disregarding their various reactions, she isn’t allowed to be sad. As someone who doesn’t belong in this world, it is not her place to say.There is only one man she can go back to, but her underlying fear is a tale for another time.(In short: She was so beautiful that a single glance could topple countries and a slight smile could make any soul fall in love. However, it’s truly too bad that it wasn’t actually her body.)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	1. Origins - It's so Painful

**Author's Note:**

> I personally don't think that there is much need for a Trigger Warning, but I will leave one here just in case it is necessary. Implied Abuse, Trauma, and Brainwashing. This is really only prevalent concerning this chapter, as the rest of the story will take place in Twisted Wonderland.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t love him, but she could never cherish him with all her heart. She would never tell others that her mind was plagued with darkened thoughts, a soul influenced by negative energy. He was a being she could never ignore, the only reason she continued to live.

Yet, this man was the root of all her misery, but she would never be able to escape him. After all, he was formed from her deep contempt and resentment. It would be irresponsible to leave him be, no matter how much he craved the touch of her death.

In the end, she could only whisper sweet nothings as her vermillion nails dug into his icy skin. No matter how much blood she spilled, his grip kept unyielding. Her lungs were beginning to burn from the lack of oxygen, but she could only continue to speak. 

There were no tears that blurred her tender gaze, but a humid and dense atmosphere arose from the tension. Dark spots appeared in her consciousness, but she couldn’t surrender so easily. Her point had yet to be established.

But it was painful. The pressure above her larynx, it was so painful. The monstrous strength of his jade-like fingers, too painful. There was so much pain that she had forgotten what she wanted so desperately to prove in the first place.

Regardless, she knew he wouldn’t dream of killing her. No matter how much he threatened to drown her in damnation or throw her into the empty void, he would never follow through. Even when he did pierce her soul, there would always be alarm and panic as he struggled to mend the gaping hole. It was impracticable for him, and she comprehended this.

Her death would cause him to lose his last breath of reason, his remaining strand of sanity. He loathed her for bringing him into this world, so much so that he desired to twist her soul and devour it.

Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to commit. His hatred and despair morphed into a distorted form of love and devotion. He didn’t understand what he wanted from her, so he stole everything. Her soul, her heart, and her mind, he did not care for her inferior opinion.

Her body was left untouched, only corrupting when he felt his rationale crippling. Rather than lust for her body, it was the craving for her suffering and her affliction. 

Although she realized it was quite insensible. He despised the fearful expression she made when he abused her, so he commanded,  _ ‘Look beautiful, appear optimistic, be cheerful, all for me.’  _

And this was why she continued to keep a delicate face on. No matter how close she felt death's fingertips, she had to proceed so that he would only notice her and no one else.

A flash of wonderment overtook his distant eyes as he tilted his head. When she saw the trivial emotion in his facial features, she slowly retracted her crimson-stained nails from the wounds on his skin. In an instant, the small cuts had woven themselves sealed without even a scar.

His voice was neither indifferent nor domineering. He spoke curiously, content with his idea, almost like a small child chatting with his mother. 

_ “Would you like to play a game with me?”  _

She vigorously nodded her head as she felt his grip release until his touch completely vanished. All that remained was the bruised marking around her neck as she harshly fell to the floor, gripping her throat with brutal intensity. Her mouth gasped for air as she began to cough without halting. She kept her gaze on the ground, afraid of what he would do next.

Ignoring her struggles, he beamed with his defined features as he clasped his hands together in anticipation.

_ “I knew you would say that! After all, I’m the one who knows you best. _ ”

That hand that once gripped her neck like iron returned to gently retrieve a small strand of her inky hair. He twirled that strand in between his fingers as he patiently waited for her to stop violently choking and reaching for air. He deemed it irritating but also too bothersome for him to be concerned about.

When her coughs began to die down, she imperceptibly tilted her chin upwards to face his alluring phoenix-shaped eyes. With this, he was satisfied as he snapped his fingers without another word. Throughout this exchange, he never glimpsed at her neck, not even once.

The room was swirling, she felt nauseous, and her stomach churned to prevent her from reminiscing. When her senses finally stabilized, she acknowledged her surroundings with an audible breath of muddled and tiresome despondency. 

She sat quietly at the end of a large and rectangular table, elaborate European-inspired engravings throughout the intricate wood. The lighting was dim and rounded, almost nonexistent even. This caused the environment to be reminiscent of a hazy fantasy, one without a destination. With the few candles illuminating her face, she slightly pursed her lips and gazed below at her new clothing.

A traditional phoenix-colored dress with embroidery laced on the lengthy yet slim skirt, golden begonias stitched masterfully into the bosom. The sheer midnight covering to the dragon hairpin weaved into her hair, everything fit her figure perfectly. There were no flaws, but she was clearly out of place. The contrast between the eastern attire and the origins of her surroundings, they caused her to seem unsightly.

_ “Now, as for our game… Do you want to know the rules?”  _ The end of the table was hidden from her sight, but that person’s voice was so clear that she almost believed he was speaking into her mind. Her neck throbbed in pain as she carefully rubbed the bruised area before nodding. She couldn’t see him, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t see her.

_ “Well, it’s fairly simple, dear. You only have to be your  _ **_disgusting_ ** _ self to win!” _

The sound of his hands clasping together once again echoed throughout the empty space and vibrated through her eardrums. She could imagine a fervent grin present on his face as a glimmer of amusement sparked a slight movement in his bladed mountain eyebrows. After all, it was an expression she had witnessed so many times before.

With a faint cough, she planted her hands on her lap and stared at the flat wooden table without expression. There was anticipation in her body language she unconsciously attempted to hide, but it didn’t matter. Only one person would bear witness to her shameless action of flicking away the dried blood from underneath her fingernails.

Inside her head, he clicked his tongue not with superiority, but with disdain. Yet, his voice was also rich with absolute doting and affection.  _ “Are you worried? Why?” _ He paused and patiently waited for her to reply, but she only shook her head. In response, she could hear his laugh, one filled with endearment.  _ “I would never extinguish the life of the one I hold dearest to my heart. You understand, don’t you?” _

She didn’t have any words to vocalize, so she explored her brain, searching for a response of any sort. When she finally found one, she promptly opened her mouth to abruptly utter her meaningless sentences. Unfortunately, he did not wait for her to speak.

The noble table began to crumble, the chairs following shortly after. She hastily attempted to stand up only to realize that she was paralyzed, attached to the disintegrating seat as if it was part of her body. Sucking in a breath of cold air, she let out a silent scream as the furniture under her eroded into dust. She didn’t have to be God to concede that she was falling.

Although if she kept it up, her soul would be lost in the empty void.

_ “I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream.  _

_ I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. _

_ And I know it’s true, that visions are seldom all they seem.” _

As her thoughts became corrupt, she heard the deep tone of a woman’s melody. There was no music, but the lyrics were beginning to attach themselves to her consciousness. This revelation caused excruciating discomfort in her head as the voice continued to sing what she assumed to be a curse.

_ “But if I know you, I know what you’ll do. _

_ You’ll love me at once, the way you did once  _

_ Upon A Dream.” _

She couldn’t take the divine harmony, the powerful lyrics, and the resonating vowels. It stung so much that she desired the cold touch of death to guide her away. It was torture, suffering, the feeling of a sharp stabbing sensation, and the extreme chill as if she been drenched with icy water. 

It was only when the chorus was hummed did she feel relief wash over her body. It was as if she had finally grasped air after having been smothered. She hoped, no, believed the song to have been over, but she did not anticipate her mistaken thought process, for the song had already begun to repeat.

_ “I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. _

_ I know you, that gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. _

_ And I know it’s true, that visions are seldom all they seem.” _

She soundlessly shrieked as the pain returned to jab at her essence. Prickly thorns seemed to poke her insides until she bled. With the small amount of sanity she had left, she acknowledged that this pain was the result of some curse, hex, or enchantment. The details were unknown, but her heart was being pierced so intently that she had no choice but to believe it was a curse. She prayed for the song to finish, but it continued against her wishes.

_ “But if I know you, I know what you’ll do. _

_ You’ll love me at once, the way you did once  _

_ Upon A Dream-” _

She overcame the paralyzation through sheer force and hastily hurried to cover her ears to block out the sound. As she was falling, her body curled up into a ball, tears threatening to fall from the blows she was receiving. Shutting her eyes tightly, she chanted to herself inaudibly.  _ ' _ **_It stings. It's painful. Please, make it stop. Make it stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop-_ ** _ ' _

The sharp pain, the prickly thorns in her heart, she sensed they had all vanished. With a sigh of relief, she slowly uncovered her ears and acknowledged that she was no longer falling into the void.

When her limpid eyes fluttered open after being bound so tightly, she found herself in front of a rounded mirror. With the serpent-like designs engraved on the filthy silver framing, the glass in the middle was the color of coal. She could barely see her own reflection, and she was unsure of what she was gazing upon. The creature was beautiful and delicate, but did not have her soul. Rather than the obscuration she recalled, this soul was pure white like an infant’s. 

The beauty in the mirror, it wasn’t her. Beautiful silky and inked hair, the length and the style fit the face shape. Even it's refined facial features, they were all perfectly symmetrical. It was just the hazed and watery eyes that had no life and the unnaturally naive smile present in the reflection that caused her to raise an eyebrow.

Furthermore, she could not even be sure that this wasn’t her face. It had been so long since she had glanced at a mirror. Indeed, she had almost forgotten what her appearance was like. After all, he had crafted her face and her body to fit his taste. 

For he craved to see her submit. This was the reason why she assumed she was such an alluring beauty. Yet, she could still remember her old face as clear as day. It was not nearly as striking as this.

Regardless, she knew that the beast posing as her reflection was so incredibly weak. It was some other being, one without sustenance. This soul was no individual but an empty husk, only it’s innocence to carry her lifespan.

As she gazed at her reflection, seemingly entranced, she narrowed her eyes. Turning her head, she pursed her lips before spitting out a venomous word. 

_ ‘ _ **_Vulgar_ ** _.’ _

Just as the sound left her carmine lips, the empty husk of a reflection transformed into forest green smoke. She recoiled at the sight but swiftly realized that the fumes were inside the glass. Regardless, she was hesitant to move any closer and didn't dare touch the living mirror.

**_"Ah... My dear beloved._ **

**_A lovely and noble flower of evil,_ **

**_You are the most beautiful of them all."_ **

She hastily spun her head around as she heard the soft echoes of footsteps coming up behind her. When she realized that there was only darkness, she shifted her eyes and gradually returned to her original position. The entire atmosphere caused shivers throughout her spine, but she could not put her finger on exactly why. For starters, the object in front of her gave her a sense of mortality. She scrunched her nose at the scent of poison.

**_"Mirror, mirror on the wall..._ **

**_Tell me, who is the most-"_ **

With widened eyes, she furrowed her eyes in bewilderment. The baritone voice had ceased its words, leaving her to envision the conclusion on her own. She softly coughed into her fist before giving her surrounding a second inspection. Everything was still  **wrong** .

Before she could begin to think, the vapor through the glass vanished in the blink of an eye. In its place was a shadowed and dreary exhibition, one that gave her an unconditionally dreadful impression.

From the depths of the forest emerged a sable carriage, one with elaborate engravings throughout its seams. A case of sorts with matching embroidery was present from the rear of the said carriage. The viridescent lanterns were to guide the way through the darkness of the midnight so that none poor fools strayed from the path. On the stallion's mane were a few raven feathers fanned out to resemble a headdress. Even the coachman had a few decorating his own piece, lanterns covering any semblance of his facial features.

She could not deduce where they were heading, the rounded sign above illegible for her ignorant knowledge. What she could discern was the terrifying fortress in the background obscured by mist and gray fog. The moon was about half the size of the castle but didn't help to illuminate the way. It was incomprehensible. She could not understand what she was supposed to make of this scene.

More descriptively, she did not grasp what he required from her. With this circumstantial information, she rubbed her temples and glanced back up at the reflector. It was here that she recognized the verdant smoke had returned, the scene before erased for eternity.

**_"You who is guided by the Mirror of Darkness,_ **

**_Take the hand reflected in the mirror._ **

**_As it is what your heart desires."_ **

The reflection transformed back into its original coal-colored glass, but there was something altered, unlike any other. A transparent and graying hand appeared from the mirror, reaching closer until it had transcended the boundaries of what she deemed possible. The limb had broken through the barrier to clutch her skin, but she swiftly rose to avoid contact. Understanding that he desired her to take this strange hand was not complicated, but she was still perplexed.

What variety of games did that devilish God crave for her to play?

Unable to comprehend it, her face and body kept still as she stood in disarray. Eventually, the hand swiftly doubled its speed and gripped onto her neck with considerable pressure. Before she knew it, it had crushed her bones without a second thought. The iron clamp never loosened even after the damage had been done. 

Her face shifted pale as a sheet of paper as she shriveled up. There was no time for her to scream, acknowledge the occurrence, to recover from the pain, or anything of the sort. By the upper neck, she was yanked into the mirror, almost as if she was a rag doll.

Ah, she had forgotten how much that person enjoyed maltreating her. Abuse and more abuse, in the end, there was nothing she could do. Her underlying fear and loathing, none of that mattered.

She loved him too much.

**~~~~~**

**_“For me,_ **

**_For them,_ **

**_For you._ **

**_We are running out of time._ **

**_No matter what, never let go of my hand.”_ **

**Welcome to the Villains’ World, my Beloved Darling.**

**~~~~~**

  
  



	2. Prologue - Corpse?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up and exploring, only to meet a certain person. Is it destiny, or is it just a coincidence?

When her eyes flung open, her hand immediately flew up to cling to her neck in terror. The feeling of her smooth and delicate skin, it was frozen to the touch, almost as if it had been formally lifeless. Thankfully, she felt each of the seven cervical vertebrae bones throughout her neck. Even more so, her heart did not feel as if it was being pierced by brambles. She quietly sighed.

It was not the thought that she was in the body of a possible corpse that caused her discomfort. Alternatively, it was the question of why her limbs ached so considerably that caused her to feel uneasy. She was winded, lightheaded, almost as if she would fall over if pushed gently. This type of body, that demon must've dug it up from the graveyard and then wrapped it up as a gift.

Her thin-blooded body, she disregarded the thoughts to focus on the present situation. Her vision had become accustomed to the dark, but the air was suffocating. It was as if she was stuck in a box or a container of some sort.

When her hands reached to feel around her, she stumbled and nearly hit her head on a wall. Such a simplistic movement and, yet, she earnestly felt as if she was going to faint. She wanted to take a seat, but the box she found herself residing in did not allow that action. Instead, she leaned her back onto what seemed to be a plush cushion. She enjoyed the warmth a bit too much.

She was aware that she was meant to find a way outside of this vessel, but the warmth was too difficult to resist. The temperature of the stuffy container, ah, she was giving in to her temptations already. Although she was getting concerned at how much her hull was shaking... 

"Gah! Why won't this stupid lid open?!"

With eyes abruptly cleared, she was startled by the strange voice she heard from outside of her resting place. Once the rattling noise of the box halted, she decided on an idea. It would be best to just wait for this mystery child to unlock her way to freedom,  _ right _ ?

"Crap, people are coming. Gotta get a uniform while I still have the chance!" There was a split second of silence only breaking when the child began to pant rapidly. There was an understanding. She knew this person didn't have the strength to lift the lid, but she didn't expect what would soon occur. "Grrr! This lid is too... Freaking heavy... Tch, looks like I'll have to use my secret move. Guuuuah~ There!"

She had been listening to this squeaky voice the entire time but furrowed her eyebrows when she analyzed his words.  _ 'Secret move? Well, I'm sure everything will be alright.' _

Nuzzling her head into the cushion, she felt the warmth she craved increasing in temperature. It was alright for a moment until she realized that what she was feeling was not warmth, but  _ heat _ . Darting her eyes around the phosphorescent case, she nearly screeched.

Blue flames were beginning to burn through what she now discerned was a wooden lid with great intensity. She was panicked, but she didn't mind the power of the flames. It warmed her little corpse up so pleasantly that she hesitated in screaming for help.

Instead, all she could think was that the child outside the lid was an absolute fool.  _ 'They desire a uniform, but they are only going to scorch it to dust instead!' _

The lid was knocked off the case from the fire, and therefore, she was able to survey her surroundings. It lacked brightness, only a few green lanterns, and decorated beads to light the chamber. At the very least, she did not have to squint her eyes to adjust once more. 

As for the floating coffins, she was unable to comment due to a particular person's squeaky voice. "Okay, okay. Now to get that-?! Kyaaaa! You, why are you up?!"

She narrowed her eyes before realizing that the voice belonged to someone below her. It took a bit, but when she finally lowered her sight, she blinked rapidly. She didn't even realize that the one who almost cooked her to death was neither child nor human.

"It turns out to be... What? A large tanuki?" She hadn't seen an animal, much less an odd-looking cat, in a few thousand years. With a pitiful chuckle, she had to admit she had forgotten there were others who existed. It was not just him and her, but multiple other worlds and those souls who were crossing the void.

The being screeched at her, its trident tail adjusting itself threateningly. "Hahhh? Just who are you calling a tanuki!?" The azure flames in its ears grew with intensity and scorching heat as it laid its pink paws on its sides. "This great one here is called Grim-sama to you!"

When he realized that she was not reacting to his statement, he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, whatever. Humans will be humans, after all..." He pointed to her with a smirk. "Hey, human. Hurry up and give me that robe." She still stared at him with a pout on her face. "Or I'll roast ya'!"

Tilting her head sideways, she glanced down and realized that she was no longer wearing the majestic phoenix gown. In its place was a raven-colored dress, small straps to hold it in place. The dress had a skirt in which the length was fanned out ever so slightly above her knees, low heels underneath her feet. Over the clothing was an inky robe that matched her hair, purple fabric lacing the inside. Golden embroidery was present around the hems of the sleeves and shirt.

From that, the outer skirt was past her knees, hem splitting into several layers and flaring out to her sides. At the waist, there was a dirty golden clip holding the clothing together. As for the golden patterns on the purple fabric, it seemed to be the symbol of two keys intersecting one another.

Her gaze traveled back to that tanuki Grim's impatient face, but she pursed her lips in response. "This uniform will not fit you. Why not get a custom made one? Did they deny you?”

It seemed something she said had struck a nerve with the animal, his face becoming darker than his gray fur. "What did you say, human?" The fire began to appear throughout the chamber, causing her exceptional warmth. Indeed, she did not comprehend what she had said to cause offense. The tanuki pointed his paw at her with angered blue pupils. "Aren't you a girl? This is an all-boys school! There's no way they'll let you in, so you won't need that robe anyway!"

She furrowed her eyebrows at his claim. There wasn't any evidence that he was telling the truth, but she had nothing else to go off of. When she scanned his expression, she did not notice a shift or nervous movement. This one, he was probably saying no lie. She asked him gently, "Do you require this robe?"

"That's what I've been saying this whole time!" He screeched, spit flying everywhere. With a shake of his head, he condescendingly sneered. "Man, this is what I hate about humans. They never understand anything the first time." When he focused his gaze on her again, the flames began to spread even faster. "If you understand that, then give me the uniform!"

"...Alright." She fiddled with the clip before unfastening the lock. Once she removed the uniform, she carefully folded it up and kneeled down to place it in front of Grim. It was painful to kneel, so she didn't want to distinguish how it would feel to stand back up. Keeping this in mind, she preserved her position on the ground of the vessel.

If she wasn't going to become a student at this supposed school, she assumed she wouldn't need the robe anyway.

"Eh?" The tanuki's shell-shocked expression lasted only a second before he swiftly nodded his head and coughed into his paw. "Aha! As expected, pretty girls do know their boundaries!" He began to sniff the air as he suspiciously glanced behind him. At that moment, something hit him. "Crap, its almost time. I gotta go!" With that final sentence, he seized the robes from the floor and scampered away with his stubby legs. He was surprisingly faster than she expected, but it made sense when she ran it through her mind.

After she could no longer see any semblance of that tanuki left, she gradually began to rise. Albeit, not without the cracking of joints and the obscene groans from her throat. After she finally stood up, she wanted to chase that Grim down again.

She hadn't noticed when taking off the robe, but wasn't what she was wearing a bit too unconventional? A thin dress on her body that caused a sense of freezing, goosebumps having already formed on her creamy skin. It was almost as if this body was terminally ill.

Spinning her head to gaze in astonishment at her environment, the action that was interrupted earlier, she almost choked. The case she had come out of, it turned out to be a shadowed coffin? "..." It was now truly cemented. "The body I'm in, it's an actual corpse! One that's seriously dead!"

After a few seconds of bewilderment, she eventually put the harrowing revelation past her. Several coffins were floating in the chamber, but she assumed that it was the act of magic that allowed them to do so. That much did not shock her, but the mirror in the center of the room did.

When she slowly approached the object, she realized it wasn't activated. That coal-colored glass and dirty silver serpent engravings, it was exactly like the mirror that had dragged her into it. 

She unconsciously clutched her neck but took a steady breath and backed away. She absolutely refused to go near that reflector again and instead, opted to wander around the school grounds until she found the exit. After that, well, she would fret about that when the time came.

From what she remembered seeing, the reflection in the mirror was stunningly gorgeous. Actually, it was  _ too _ stunning. She felt like her perceptions were deceiving her. Even that person never molded her face and body to resemble this type of beauty because he didn't want anyone stealing her away.

Not that they could with his power.

She shook her head. It was the same as that husk she had seen earlier. Being inside that lifeless body made her shiver in fright and unease. No matter how beautiful, it was difficult to love a body that was dead. This much she understood.

Regardless, her figure had been altered to an alarming extent. That person did not care about anything below her face, so she found it hard to imagine that he would place her in such an eye-catching body. This hourglass shape did not suit her weakness. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "If there is so much fat, why is it so cold in here?"

She shook her head and continued on her way.

  
  


As she wandered through the halls and the courtyard of the grand complex, she confirmed that this was an exceptional establishment. There were classrooms and lecture halls, resemblant of back when she was in school. Of course, she didn't remember much about her past or anyone in it. Yet, things like this were fundamentally common knowledge, even for sheltered beings such as herself.

Judging by the endless size of the verdant courtyard and the lengthy hallways filled with countless classrooms, it must be quite a wealthy academy. Affluent or rather, prestigious? After walking for a distance, she couldn't find the exit at all. It was like a maze, maybe a curse that forbade her from leaving the institution.

Eventually, she stepped outside to take a rest. This body of hers, it was excessively vulnerable. She could barely walk, much less run in times of emergencies or accidents. While leaning on one of the concrete pillars, she shook her head in disappointment.

The halls were all dim and empty. There were no other sounds in the vicinity. Footsteps were an exception, but they were self-created instead of by another. 

Well, it wasn't as if she didn't expect this. The sun had long fallen, only the bright moon to light her way. The outside was slightly chilly, but nothing like the dead of winter. She hadn't been outside for a while, so something like this was a treat. After all, she did force her body to walk through an infinite stream of rooms and corridors.

She crossed her arms above her stomach before muttering to herself. "...It's freezing. The dress is too small for the body’s chest as well! This body requires nutrition, vitamins, and most of all..." Her head tilted back. "the sun."

As her skin began to turn paler then it already was, she decided to wander back inside before she froze to death. Although just before this action, the scenery caught her peach blossom eyes. When she noticed the shining moon once more, it all connected.

Seems that the castle she observed in the mirror was positively a school, the very one she could not currently escape. The flash of excitement in her eyes vanished just as soon as it appeared. With a flick of her hair, she headed back into the school without a second opinion.

After a fair bit of tiresome strolling around, she was starting to feel agitated. It had been such a long time, but all she saw were replicas of the same classrooms, all empty without life. At this point, she might as well just drop dead back into her coffin, but she didn't even know where that chamber was.

She hadn't been keeping track of her steps, so she had essentially dug a pit for herself. Without consulting herself, she halted her body and shifted her body weight onto one of the many windows. She didn't mind jumping out the window, but she wasn't sure her body could take the impact.

Just as she sighed out in consternation, she heard a shuffling noise from one of the larger rooms that she neglected to enter. Hastily springing to her feet, she nearly tripped onto the floor but was able to catch herself in the nick of time. She narrowed her eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't be so reckless... But what part of what I did was reckless?"

Landing her gaze on the sizable door, she carefully grasped the handle and attempted to pull with all her strength. However, the entry did not budge even in the slightest. Under the suspicion that she was doing something wrong, she endeavored her body's weight to push her way in. Unfortunately, this arrangement was not successful, either. 

"..." Becoming speechless, she began to consistently rattle the handle. She didn't know what she was contemplating, but it wasn't anything beneficial. Maybe if the handle broke, the door would also break? It was foolish thinking, but she couldn't help herself. Before she could continue, the door was pulled open from the inside, causing her to lose her balance with a silent shriek.

She wasn't conditioned to close her eyes, but she was not skilled enough to retrieve her balance. Falling forwards with a bitter face, she awaited the harsh impact between her skull and the floor. Unexpectedly, that pain never came.

Instead, she experienced the remarkable warmth of a person's chest. Of course, she was not a mad woman, no matter how tempting it was to stay embraced in heat. Hastily pulling herself together, she coughed into her fist, giving a mild apology. "Ah, I'm sorry."

"The person who was making all that racket, it was you, child of man?" His deep and sultry voice vibrated through her ears, but she was too stiff to muster any blood into her face. The slight mumbling after his question was even more profound. "To think there's such a fearless human in this world..."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update comes out on Friday.


	3. Prologue - First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She felt like this person knew all of her secrets from just a single glance.

"...I'm almost positive the entry was locked. Ah, thank you for opening it." She was afraid to glance up. This person's voice almost guaranteed him to be a handsome person. Despite this, she lifted her chin to make eye contact anyway. Being able to talk to another person that wasn't that man, it was the opportunity of a lifetime she couldn't miss.

It was just as she expected. Indeed, this person was strikingly elegant. The man's height was about a foot or maybe more above her, his eyes a piercing forest hue. His long dark hair tickling her cheeks caused her to acknowledge that perhaps, she was still too close. With a gentle cough, she quietly stepped back.

He glanced at her oddly. "This is the library. It is seldom locked."

Her mouth made the "o" shape as she gradually averted her eyes. Beginning to mutter inaudibly, she only just realized this person had excellent hearing. "It seems that I was too weak to open the door after all... Wah, isn't this a bit too embarrassing?"

"You couldn't open the door?" The man widened his eyes in surprise before bending closer to her face. Whatever he was searching for on her face, she did not know if he could find it. Once his curiosity had been sated, he pulled his head back and only said a simple phrase. "I see."

"You see? See what?" She could tell by the glint in his glowing eyes that he was not telling her something significant. It made her nose itch as her carmine lips formed a straight line, translucent eyes narrowing.

He hesitated to speak, but the silence compelled him to question her. With lustrous orbs, he slightly parted his charcoal lips. "Are you aware that your heart is covered in thorns?"

Any amazement that she may have had on the first impression, it increased by a significant amount. She conceived the theory of her heart being covered in thorns, but it was not yet confirmed. For this person to have detected this, she assumed he was a man with overwhelming power. "Yes, I am." She put her hands behind her back. "I'm astonishingly vulnerable and chilly. Could this be the reason?"

With the smallest smirk on his face, one that she barely caught, he spoke. "I wonder...?"

"..." Was this person toying with her? He knew the answer, but would not tell her? It was as that God said,  _ 'Handsome men are nothing but barbarians.' _

A few seconds of silence passed by before he inquired about her once again. "Were you summoned by the Mirror of Darkness? To think they were enrolling the opposite gender now... How fascinating."

Due to his words, she was convinced that everything that cat had informed her about before was truthful. Of course, this gave her only more of a reason to escape this school. She quietly chuckled as she stepped back even further. However, before she could turn away, her curiosity bested her. "By the way, who are you?"

The man silently processed her meaning before he widened his eyes in shock for the second time, albeit much more apparent than the first. "You are unaware of who I am?"

"Am I to be aware?" She raised an eyebrow as she saw his understanding features.

"So it was not that you knew no fear, but rather, you were not aware of who I was? The reason why you collided into  _ me _ without a change in expression, ah, it all makes sense now." He nodded to himself as he gazed at her furrowed eyebrows. Now he was curious about who she was. "What name do you go by?"

She could infer that he was a person of again, overwhelming power and aura, but that didn't answer any of her questions. Rather than giving him her name, he asked for hers in return. Unfortunately, she did not have a name. 

For she had long ago forsaken her original one.

"It's improper to ask for someone's name after they've first asked for yours." She revealed a confounding smile. "But since you asked, I don't currently own a name. What do you think would suit my face?"

"You don't own a name? Surely you jest, but your eyes are not dishonest. To think that you also don't have a name, how unusual." He contemplated before facing her shorter body. "My name is... No, I shall stop myself here." With crossed arms, he shook his head with what seemed to be a merciful act. "If you were to know my name, a chilling sensation would overwhelm your soul."

Her lips formed a thin line before she pouted in disappointment. "I am already freezing, so why don't you enlighten me, darling?"

"Darling?" The man let out a faint chuckle before shaking his head once again. "Let's have you stay ignorant to the ways of this world, shall we? I permit you to call me whatever you wish, but you may one day come to regret that choice-"

She did not let him finish his sentence. Once she laid her eyes onto the ebony curled horns atop his head, there was only one name that came to mind. 

"Tsunotarou." Her flat voice deadpanned, eyes as cloudless as rainwater.

He blinked rapidly. "Tsuno... Tsunoarou?" A smile graced her lips as she locked her gaze onto his horns. When he noticed this, he only glanced away before slowly returning his peculiar gaze back to her. "I am certain you will come to regret your choice."

"Do you not think it fits?" She shrugged in response with a smirk as he stood silently. After taking a few steps forward, she leaned over to him with another pout. "Now, what name do you think would be the most suitable for a person such as me?"

"To name someone with such a remarkable face and eccentric origins... I should regard this matter seriously." He kept his torso glued in place as he clearly analyzed her face and her soul. She was used to being scrutinized, but it felt foreign when another man did it. Yet, she wasn't uncomfortable. Eventually, he nodded his head, a singular word rolling from his mouth without hesitation.

"Yuneri." The corners of the man's lips gradually rose, but it was barely noticeable. This gentleman was one of carefully thought out emotions and exhibited stoic behavior.

"...Eh?"

Ignoring the baffled expression on her face, he softened his eyes before chuckling. "Maybe we'll meet again, Yuneri." With this final sentence, he disappeared into green smoke, similar to poison. The inky-haired girl was left with surging emotions, unable to form complete words in her disorderly mind.

Her eyes were unable to return to normal, jaw slightly lowered. Maybe her God was right. The otherworlds were earnestly full of remarkable mortals. Of course, this is assuming the man she had just met _was_ , indeed, a mortal.

Still, none of this meant anything. In the end, it was improbable to bring herself to comprehend it. "How did that person-"

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1/2) Updates for today.


	4. Prologue - Too Many Misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She meets some more peculiar persons.

"Are you sure you didn't see where she went?"

"Gyah! I told you already, I have no clue!"

"How unfortunate. It seems we'll have to keep searching- Ah. I've found you at last. You are one of the new students, correct?"

"Eh?... That voice? It sounds like..." Yuneri snapped out of her thoughts when she realized the person's words were directed towards her. She spun around to face an unusual display, one that caused her to furrow her eyebrows. After she shook her head to empty her thoughts of any events that had already occurred, she pointed to herself in confusion. "Me?" Her nose scrunched up. "Oh, no. I'm not-"

"You should never do something so incongruous like this again." The older man shook his head as he scolded her. "Honestly, leaving the Gate on your own? Absolutely unheard of!"

The man had the aura of extravagance and diligence, but his physical appearance gave her a second thought. His face was concealed by a dark mask, one that resembled the beak of a raven. He wore a top hat and several mirrors to accessorize. His dark-colored clothing consisted of a feathered greatcoat and a starry midnight vest. 

He also held what seemed to be a staff, but it was in the shape of a large golden black key. Hmm, could it be a key for something interesting? Actually, the more Yuneri gawked at this man, the more uncertain she became. Were there really those who wore such strange clothing in the otherworlds? She couldn't imagine what struggles his character could cause her in the future.

With a quick realization, she hurriedly waved her icy hands in front of her face. She could sense trouble brewing, and personally, she wanted to avoid the notion quite a fair bit. It would be a miracle if she won this game. "I think you're misunderstanding-"

"Not only that, but you brought an untamed familiar onto school grounds. This has already broken several school rules and regulations. For heaven's sake, it's only your first day!" He exclaimed with annoyance as he glanced tiredly at the tanuki.

Yuneri grimaced at his figure. This character would deliver much trouble if left with her. From what she remembered, he almost  _ cremated _ her. It didn't matter if she appreciated it. It was the fact that he didn't know she slightly  _ relished _ the experience. Therefore, she was almost positive that he would push her into more than just a few crises without consent.

Grim snarled as he struggled in the clutches with what seemed to be a black whip curled around his small torso. "Let me go! I'm not her freakin' familiar, dammit!" As he continued to squirm, she noticed the whip tightening with every passing moment. To be frank, she didn't want to see something depart to the afterlife so soon on her opening day in one of the otherworlds.

Before she could rejoin, the older man sighed with grief. "Sure, sure. The rebellious familiars always spurt nonsense like that." His gold pupils narrowed before he leaned his staff onto his ribcage. After this action, he then cleanly snapped his fingers. "To think that there is someone so irresponsible. Setting a familiar loose in the academy, allowing her robe to be stolen by said familiar... Careless!" The ceremony robe she gave to the cat was now being held in the hands of the older man. He handed the inky clothing to her. "Put this back on, and don't misplace it again. The material is precious and expensive."

There was a shriek from beside him. "Ahh! My ticket to the school! Give it back!" He growled at the girl as she received the robe and squinted her head. 

"No, he's not..." Her attention was stolen by tiny hairs of grey decorating the violet fabric inside the uniform. "It is... Cat fur?"

"Your familiar was prancing around with a robe ten sizes too large for it!" He lifted his free hand to rub his forehead. "I was searching for you when I saw the horrifying scene! I implore you, negligence will get you expelled without a doubt."

Yuneri dusted the fur off the fabric before slowly draping it over her body, fiddling once again with the golden buckle. It was at this moment that she recalled a vital memory. "But I'm a woman. I was informed that this academy was a male-only establishment?"

"Yeah! She can't attend, so let me instead!" Grim barked as the older man ignored his squeaky voice. The cat started to screech incoherent mumbles at this mundane response.

"...You are a girl, aren't you?" He asked in return, head tilting sideways. 

Yuneri narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. She did not have to say anything for the older man to understand her meaning and begin coughing into his fist.

"Ahaha, that's not to say you don't resemble a girl. You certainly do." He assured her, attempting to appease her.

"Yes, I would hope so." She had a good temperament, so such buttery words were unnecessary. If he could not tell by her face and her figure that she was a woman, his eyes must be compromised. "But, about my, erm, enrollment?"

"Yes, yes." His lips straightened in understanding as he thought about the possible consequences. Refuting her expectations, the man nodded without even a minute passing. "I'm sure it'll be alright."

Yuneri and Grim squinted their contrasting colored eyes at the smiling man before uttering the same words. "Eh...?"

She scrunched up her face and stated bluntly, "How thoughtless of you." This conversation had taken an unconventional course of action, one she failed to expect.

The cat agreed wholeheartedly. "What kind of weirdo guy is this?! He doesn't take any responsibility at all!"

The man narrowed his eyes and glanced at one of the pockets in his coat. Reaching deeply, he swiftly removed a black cloth from his clothing. "Just quiet down for a moment, alright?" With a swift movement of his hands, the cat's mouth was secured so that he could not speak audible words.

"Mmmghmm!" He attempted to screech, but the black cloth did not allow him to do so. The man no longer gave a mind to the animal, so Yuneri also disregarded him. When Grim noticed that neither of the two were paying attention to him, he begrudgingly quieted down to the relief of the man holding the whip. 

The man crossed his arms as he returned his attention to the girl. "Regardless, it's unprecedented for a new student to leave the Gate on their own." He shook his head with a grimace present on the visible component of his face, a sigh leaving his breath. "How impatient can you be?"

Yuneri had already disregarded her former plans and was now preparing herself to enter the academy as a student. Despite this, she didn't want anything to do with that tanuki. With this in mind, she once again attempted to voice her complaints. "Before we continue, I would like to say-"

"The Entrance Ceremony is already well underway. Come now, let's head to the Hall of Mirrors." He did not bother to let her finish her sentence as he began to turn in the other direction. Yuneri widened her eyes and hastily followed him, ignoring the searing pain in her legs from the abrupt movement. She was not that upset that he interrupted her again, for the speech was a new blessing, but he was pacing so speedily!

"Wait, what is this Hall of Mirrors? The Gate as well, can you enlighten me?" She inquired, her heart beating wildly due to the exercise. Maybe she would have to condition this body to do as she desired.

The man started to slow his steps to the gratefulness of Yuneri before he answered her questions. "It is the chamber that you awoke in just a while ago. The one with several doors inside."

"Doors?..." Yuneri searched her brain for anything that could be considered a door. She didn't awake in the mirror. It only dragged her soul through. The more she thought about it, the more dubious she became until she slightly stumbled in revelation. "The doors... Ah, the coffins?!"

He acknowledged her statement with a nod. "All students who wish to attend this academy must pass through one of those doors to arrive on school grounds..." There was a pause in his words before he narrowed his eyes at her. "Normally, students only wake up after the door is opened, with a unique key no less... But you..." He trailed off as Yuneri digested the information.

Yuneri understood instantly. "So, the lid must've been blown off by the tanuki's flames." However, she simply couldn't fathom how coffins were used as doors. It was alright to possess a corpse, but it chilled her to the bone when she discerned something else. If that coffin was actually a door, then the person's body she was given had died on the way to enrollment?! Her face turned pale as she snuck a cautious glance at the man who accompanied her.

"In the end, the culprit turns out to be this familiar? If you're going to bring one with you, you must take care of it." He began to scold her once again, but she didn't take it too seriously. After all, it was initially not her pet and still isn't. She stopped attempting to speak up about the misunderstanding because she had a hunch that he wouldn't let her complete her sentences. The said man suddenly glanced at the time, but she did not follow his gaze. "Oh my! Now isn't the time to be long-winded. The Entrance Ceremony will soon come to a close," he declared, ushering her with his free hand. "Now, now. Let's get a move on."

His pace picked up in speed, but Yuneri was still not accustomed to her body. To get him to reduce his momentum, she had to initiate a conversation. "Just a second, who exactly are you? A member of staff?" This question caused him to successfully slow, so she continued her line of inquiry. "Also, where exactly am I?"

"What is this? Are you still dazed?" He put his gloved hand up to his chin in a surprised manner before assuming the reason for her condition. "It seems the teleportation magic has left you disoriented, right?" The man asked her as she tilted her head in perplexity. "Well, that's alright. It happens often enough. I shall give you an explanation on the way there, for I am so gracious." When he produced a slitted smile, Yuneri felt that she had a better understanding of this person's character.

By this time, they had reached the courtyard in all of its magnificent glory. After a silent second, Yuneri asked, "So... What type of school is this?" She recalled going to school, but that person denied it. He assured her that she was working instead of studying in a classroom. If she did get any education, it might've been the earlier years of her former life.

"This is Night Raven College." He gestured to the courtyard with wide arms. "Those magicians blessed with a unique aptitude for magic gather from all over the world to come here at the most prestigious academy in Twisted Wonderland." She was shocked that he did not even pause once during that sentence. Seems some mortals really didn't need to breathe to live.

Yuneri narrowed her eyes before mumbling. "Twisted Wonderland?... Such a terrible name." Her gaze shifted onto the man as she increased her volume. "I see, so this is Night Raven College." When she recognized his mask, she noted the connection. "Are you... um, the Mascot?"

The older man choked on his spit as he violently convulsed for exactly half a second. "Mascot!? Heavens, no!" He vehemently denied the accusation. "I am the Headmaster of this academy, appointed by the board chairman to lead the school. In the spirit of those words, my name is Dire Crowley." The man acquainted himself before stiffly glaring at her. "I am certainly not a mascot!"

Yuneri was slightly surprised. To think such an eccentric man could be the Headmaster of a prestigious school... She found it astonishing. "I see. Then, Crowley-san, how does a magician enroll?" She wasn't curious about the others, but the erudition may assist her further downwards in the future.

Crowley answered her question with a detailed explanation. "At this school, only those who are seen as worthy by the Mirror of Darkness are allowed to attend."

She understood that this was one of the academies that others could not enter so freely. She figured that the school would be full of oddlings, as that person had once stated that the talented were highly peculiar. "Ah, that's right. How does one use those coffins as... Doors?" She inquired.

"The worthy are chosen to use the Gate and are summoned to this school from around the world." He shifted his gaze to her conclusive one. "An Ebony Carriage should have gone to pick you up as well."

"Carriage?" Yuneri did not recall ever setting foot inside a vehicle that transported her from one place to the other. "I don't-?!" She remembered in an instant. The mirror that snapped her neck, it revealed the scene of a carriage carrying a casket. In this context, she understood. It was a coffin! Yuneri's head nodded in an instant. Although she never took a ride, this was close enough. "Yes, an Ebony Carriage! I do recognize such an occasion."

Crowley nodded his head. "The Ebony Carriage welcomes all new students chosen by the Mirror of Darkness. In truth, they are carriages that carry the doors to the academy." He put his hands to his sides. "Since ancient times, the market had decided long ago that the carriages were to be used to welcome others on special days."

"Special days? Such as today, the Entrance Ceremony for new students. I understand." She didn't understand at all. Did the Mirror of Darkness find everyone suitable within the world, or did these children have to apply themselves? What if that person didn't want to attend? Would their neck be snapped too? Yuneri didn't even know how old college-aged students were. What if they were infants?!

He acknowledged her assumption. "That is correct," but he was cut off when the tanuki started to create more noise. 

"Muggmm! Muggghh!"

Without even a single glance, Crowley motioned for her to follow his lead. "Now, let's proceed to the Entrance Ceremony." As he began to speed his pace, Yuneri had to once again quickly run after him. She was no longer as cold, but her bones were too stiff to move as fast as he did. Yet, she did not notice that her hood had been pulled over her head by unknown forces.

She could not tell if that man was being callous or if this was an act of mercy. Him allowing her this chance, it was inconceivable. Yet, she was still grateful.

Although it was odd. Yuneri couldn't use magic, not at all.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2/2) Updates for today.


	5. Prologue - Entrance Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was simply unlucky that the mirror saw through her.

"Now, is that all for the new students' dorm assignments?" In the Hall of Mirrors, a short boy with ruby-colored hair addressed the occupants in the chamber. He was tired of their endless chitchat, never ceasing for even a second. "Listen up, new students."

When the person spoke, their chatter quieted, attention landing solely on the said male. The students also happened to be wearing the same replica of the inky robe, which, indeed, possessed purple-golden adornments that decorated the hems and seams. They all sat foremost, separated into various groups.

The boy's voice was steady as he delivered his rules to the newest students who sat facing him. "Here in Heartslabyul, I am the rules. Break them, and it's off with your heads. It would do you all good to remember this well." He did not scream or vehemently announce his meager threat. Regardless of this, his indifferent silver eyes made the atmosphere in front of him swell with tension. The anxious expressions of the scholars were apparent as they all glanced at one another with grimaces.

The next person to speak was a taller man, one with suntanned skin and unkempt coffee-colored hair. Although, one could only detect the braids to frame his face and the slight tinge of his bangs. He yawned as the other finished speaking, emerald eyes nonchalantly slanted. "The stuffy ceremony is finally over." There was no such thing as wasting time. "We're going back to the dorm. Savanaclaw, follow me."

The students who sat in front of him were unruly and vulgar but not boisterous when facing the man's intimidating and hidden scar. His bored appearance did not cause the students to become rambunctious. Alternatively, it caused them to feel a sparse sense of pressure as well. Though, they were handling this much better than the Heartslabyul members who had just been threatened with decapitation. They were not nearly as anxious and sweat-producing.

"New students, congratulations on enrolling in this prestigious academy." The silver-haired man vocalized with a fluttering tone, his smile welcoming. "As the Dormitory Leader of Octavinelle, I will support you to the best of my ability." Although he seemed to be a well-mannered man, the method in which his glasses glinted ominously over his grey eyes caused some to feel shivers.

Regardless, they were pleased to know that they had a Dormitory Leader who was not nearly as strict as the first or as careless as the second. The students all sat in their seats patiently and respectfully. It was as if they were an organization of highly intelligent individuals.

Another man with a magnificent appearance finished speaking with his group of elegant youths. He queried after noticing that no others were voicing his thoughts. "Anyway, where did the Headmaster go? He suddenly flew out right in the middle of the ceremony." The students who heard the fair-skinned man were shocked as they furrowed their eyebrows. Was the Headmaster so irresponsible? 

A blue tablet that hovered above ground whispered to itself, monologuing in distaste. "Abandoning this post..." Even it could tell that the Headmaster was negligent in this situation.

The other tanned man tilted his head, white hair softly falling onto his forehead. "Did he get a stomachache?" He asked, completely serious as his crimson eyes blinked. The students in front of him also flickered their eyes profusely. They couldn't believe a Dorm Leader would voice out such childish thoughts.

"No, that's not it at all!" At this exact moment, the doors of the Hall of Mirrors unlocked with a harsh slam. Crowley strolled in with magnanimous extravagance. The cat was secured tightly within the lash, unable to escape no matter how gravely he struggled. Behind them was Yuneri, who struggled to keep up with the man's long strides.

The austere ruby-haired boy reacted instantly, impressed at the Headmaster's timing. "Ah, he's here."

"I cannot believe you all." Crowley shook his head in displeasure as he scolded the Dorm Leaders. "We were missing one new student, so I went to find her." As he pointed at Yuneri, who was quietly panting, she felt the room lower in temperature. It was so cold that she wanted that tanuki to blow his fire on her bare skin.

"...Her?" The tanned man's half-lidded eyes darted open in regard. His copper-colored strands of fringe slightly shifted in place as he pressed his lips together. After he voiced the small word, everyone's attention went on to the person next to the Headmaster.

Yuneri did not fidget due to anxiety, but she was shivering due to the sudden chills she had just received. Regardless of this, it was a bit exciting to have everyone's eyes on her. It made her feel as if she was on stage, real people watching her every move. There was a distinct feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on, but it wasn't anything unmanageable.

The crimson-eyed male tilted his head in question as his golden earrings rang. His eyes scanned her obscured face down to her sickly pale legs before recognition dawned on his features. "Ah? Isn't that person wearing a skirt?!" His voice caused the student body to scrutinize her lower half before whispers erupted.

"Woah, he's right! That's freaking crazy!"

"A girl?... Damn, I can't see her face!"

"I didn't know Night Raven College was turning co-ed."

Yuneri could hear the whispers due to their failed attempts of remaining placid. However, her attention was focused solely on the mirror that Crowley was leading her to. As she followed him mindlessly, she slightly tilted her head upwards as she passed by a shorter individual. Due to his height, he could view the girl's limpid eyes as she pursed her lips. Their sliver of eye contact was all he needed to comprehend the level of her face. 

She noticed his eyes widen in what seemed to be a flash of bewilderment, but she could not be ascertained. She was too occupied with attempting to keep up with the Headmaster's long, but exhausting, strides. The hovering tablet once again whispered to itself as she walked by. Its mumbling was hard to hear, but she was sure she heard it ask, "Why?" and "Girl?"

"..." Yuneri could not answer this question either. The closer she stepped towards the floating tablet, the further it floated away. She furrowed her eyebrows, confused as to why an electronic would stray away from her. Regardless, she was exhausted, and once Crowley halted his movement, she replicated his actions with relief. 

He spun to face her, golden claws pointing to the mirror she dreaded seeing. If her hands weren't so stiff, she would've reached for her neck in self-defense. "You are the only student yet to be assigned a dormitory. I shall watch over the tanuki," Crowley gave a glare to the reluctant Grim before turning back to her. "so go ahead and step in front of the Mirror of Darkness."

She did not want to. Not at all. Although the frame had become copper-like in color, she nevertheless felt her fingertips chilling. The mirror's background was of green smoke, so familiar to her old soul. In the center was a white mask, one that adorned ebony lace stitchery around its eyes. She couldn't pinpoint precisely why, but the way the mask's face was put together caused her eyes to squint.

The mask addressed her, a heavy voice echoing throughout the chamber.  **"State thy name,"** it demanded her.

Her hesitation was evident, but she could not think of any other name. Also, if that man found out she utilized a different name, wouldn't he be offended? The origins that name had with her, she would have to ignore them for now. 

"My name... it's probably, yes. It's Yuneri."

The silver-haired man's brows furrowed as he softly repeated her words, speaking into his fist. "Probably?" Was there a person who needed to think so hard about what their name was? Pondering the same thought, the man with the amethyst eyes also had a flash of uncertainty. He could only bring himself to believe that she was just too nervous.

The Mirror of Darkness examined her from head to toe before hesitating on his answer.  **"The shape of thy soul..."** His eyes narrowed intensely.  **"I do not know."**

The hall erupted into raucous chatter. There were so many voices that Yuneri couldn't focus on a single conversation to eavesdrop on. She glanced at Crowley, who stood a few steps away from her. His face had contorted into an expression of a deep stupor. "What? Come again?"

**"I sense not a spark of magic from this one... The shape, the color, all are unclear. Therefore, they are unsuitable for any dormitory."**

That chatter's volume raised by several levels until the students were all either shrieking or borderline screaming, but Yuneri only shrugged. She wasn't as optimistic as to assume that her God would give her any sort of abilities. He would never let her die, but he would never give her power either.

Crowley stepped forwards as he almost couldn't form any plausible words. "Unclear? You mean blurry? It's a soul, not a book for- An ebony carriage would absolutely never go to greet a person without magic!" He bellowed, eyes rounded. "In 100 years, there's never, not once, been a mistake in the student selection." Crowley's gloved hand reached to stroke his chin. "Then why...?"

The Mirror of Darkness observed Yuneri once again before imploring her,  **"Remove your hood, let me examine your peculiar eyes."**

Crowley silenced himself and gestured for her to follow the mirror's orders. Yuneri tilted her head before reaching to tug at her hood. She had not even realized she had put it on in the first place. No, actually, she was confident she hadn't done so, but there were much more important matters at present.

Once her hood came gently falling down, she turned back to follow the fabric drop. At this moment, the entire student body gradually silenced themselves as they all stared astonished at her appearance. Yuneri understood that this corpse's face was beautiful, much more so than her own, but she did not expect this type of reaction. Unless it was that they considered her ugly?!

As the mirror squinted his eyes to study hers, the whispers started to arise again. 

"What the hell is with that face?"

"That type of appearance is really just too..."

"Seriously, is there actually a person who looks like her in this world?"

With the ambiguous words and simple phrases that were being thrown around, she could not tell if they thought she was attractive or not. Their voices were all mixed together and were too vague. It only was when she heard a couple of distinct voices did she sigh in relief. That person was a cruel being, but he loved her very much.

"I witnessed her appearance for a second, but I did not think that she truly looked like this..." The boy's silver glinted eyes rounded as his voice trailed off.

The white-haired person's crimson eyes bored into Yuneri's face as he blurted out, "Wah, she's so pretty!" Yuneri found it hard to take this person seriously as his tone of voice suggested that he would say this to any female. Of course, there was also the possibility that she was simply just incorrect.

The more beautiful man narrowed his eyes as his violet hair tips swayed as he raised his chin. He responded to the outburst of the other man with a small change in expression. "It's always better to have a stunning bare face, but..." He trailed off before crossing his arms. "If she has no skill in makeup or fashion, which is quite apparent, then it doesn't matter how beautiful she is. Her skin may seem without blemishes, but it has the color of a carcass." 

When she heard this man criticize her appearance, she almost choked and couldn't refute it. Her skin was indeed the color of a dead person, and she wasn't wearing even an ounce of makeup. Not to mention that the person who just spoken had gorgeous looks as well. A slight blush crept up her face from discomfort, but it was so unnoticeable that even she didn't realize it.

The mirror was finally done with his examination, the chamber quieting as he began to speak. With his viscid and now whispered tone, he questioned Yuneri's distinct eyes.  **"You who owns an otherworldly soul, the one who has rose thorns surrounding her heart, tell me."** He paused before continuing, the chamber echoing.

**"Who is your master?"**

The students had become so silent that it was deafening. Yuneri expression hardened, opting to think her diction carefully. If she said the wrong thing, that person might come and take her away. She opened her mouth to speak, eyes slanting and clouding. "Master...? Do you believe I have only but a Master? How... Absurd." Yuneri chuckled as the mirror became mute. She was not lying, but she was deceiving the mirror. Anyway, she was a bit more concerned about what was surrounding her heart. Her hand quietly grasped below her chest.

Everyone felt the atmosphere thicken with horror. Not only were Yuneri's words incomprehensible, but they couldn't even understand what the mirror was saying either.

Crowley was distracted, his face scrunched up in both bewilderment and frustration. The cat used this opportunity to slip out of the loosening whip with an insignificant struggle. Once he became free, he jumped to the floor with his chest puffed out. Crowley widened his eyes in terror as Grim started to proudly announce himself. "Pah, if this useless person can't use magic, then I'll take her place!"


	6. Prologue - Inferno Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So many new people, it's difficult to tell their motives.

"Stay right where you are, Tanuki!" Crowley screamed at the little beast, but his words were not received. Yuneri was beginning to feel the warmth of his flames around her. Although, even she could tell that nothing good was about to transpire. She hoped her expensive robe was inflammable.

Before he could fully summon his flames, Grim gave his last few sentences of reason. "Unlike that stupid human, I can use powerful magic." His ears perked up. "So, that's why you should let me into the school instead! If you need proof, I'll show it to you right now!" 

The ruby-haired boy felt a surge of magic before shouting to the other students. "Everyone, take cover!" Yuneri could perceive that it wasn't only the magic that caused him to scream those directions. She huddled closer to Crowley before watching as Grim's azure flames began to attack everyone in the vicinity. The discord was so chaotic that their screams of terror rose to a staggering level of intensity.

His maniacal laughter caused Yuneri to grimace, but her attention was stolen by an extraordinarily loud shriek. "Hoottt! Aah, my butt is on fire!" She turned her head to see the man with the golden earrings running around with fire burning through his robes in an unfortunate spot. She grimaced. Seems that these robes weren't fireproof after all.

"At this rate, the school will become a sea of fire. Somebody, catch that tanuki! NOW!" The Headmaster screeched at the disorderly body of students. When he realized that none were listening, he gnashed his teeth and sauntered off, leaving Yuneri alone to fend for herself. 

Yuneri glanced around her before shaking her head. "Ah, wow. If this incident cannot be handled in an instant, is this really a prestigious school?" It was unbelievable, but maybe her standards were too high. Yet, what kind of Headmaster leaves his magicless student alone in such a dangerous situation?

She was about to go over and assist the person whose body was on fire, but before she could do that, she observed a rounded ball of blue fire heading straight for her stomach. Her thinking was quick but flawed at the same time. Yuneri's body felt icy as her hands rubbed together to generate warmth. The fire wasn't aiming for her face, so she deemed it alright to be hit.

What she didn't expect was her arm to be abruptly yanked to the side, her whole body falling onto the chest of another. The screams of an added person rang through her ear as she realized it. Those flames had almost hit another person in consequence.

"Oi, why didn't you dodge? Do you want to get scorched?" Yuneri darted her gaze around, not comprehending what had just happened. The person who had just asked her these questions clicked his tongue when he realized she wasn't responding. He carefully brought her to the floor to take a seat, her back leaning into his shoulder. With furrowed eyebrows, he harshly asked her, "Why are you looking around so much? Are you hurt?"

Yuneri snapped out of her daze when she recognized the past occurrences. She glanced up to see her savior's face, tired and emerald green eyes peering down on hers with a slight flash of regard. She felt the hand around her waist slightly tighten before she hastily responded with a forced smile. "Aah, ah. I'm fine, thank you for helping me."

She wasn't going to tell him that her bones were aching due to his rough actions. If she did, she would feel like a terrible person. However, she was seriously in a lot of pain.

Regarding the close proximity she was in with the second person today, she did not feel uncomfortable. This remarkably handsome person radiated a satisfactory amount of heat, but she also wasn't too shameless.

Well, maybe a little shameless.

Placing one hand on the floor and the other clutching the purple fabric near his collar, she attempted to get up only to fall back down, her leg colliding with the floor. "F-" Yuneri quickly bit her tongue to stop herself from swearing. The pain in her arm, leg, and entire body were too unbearable! It was like they were brittle and would break in a second.

The tanned man hastily caught her again before her whole person fell to the floor, holding her closer to his torso as her eyes began to swell up. Now, this was way too embarrassing for her liking! Not only that, but this person was obviously forcing himself to converse with her. His tone caused him to seem like he didn't want to talk with her at all. It was as if speaking was an  _ effort _ . Yuneri could not say anything as she attempted to focus on a small sprout of fire to get the thought of pain away from her mind.

That beautiful man with the amethyst eyes came strolling over with a carefree expression. "Ara? I didn't expect that you would be helping another person anytime soon." When he didn't react, the man continued to speak with a condescending attitude. "I do hope you don't eat her up so quickly, repugnant blood and guts getting my expensive clothing dirty."

Yuneri almost choked at his sentence. Mortals were quite brutal, weren't they? With a scoff, the rugged and handsome man narrowed his eyes. "Tch, you're not a man if you can watch some defenseless woman get attacked without blinking."

"I didn't think you were such a gentleman. How  **_revolting_ ** . If only you could put this much care into your appearance." The elegant man laughed as his gaze locked onto the tanuki, who was wreaking havoc and terrorizing the other students as they spoke. He smirked as he hummed. "Aren't you good at hunting? Doesn't it look like a nice, plump snack?"

Yuneri's face grimaced, both from pain and distaste. She could not believe that they were having this conversation in the middle of horrid screams of fright and the ardent flames of destruction. The man holding her frowned before retorting, "Why me? Do it yourself. You have that bothersome guy as your Vice Leader, don't you? Haven't you learned anything from him?"

"He is... An eccentric man. His interest in you is unmatched, did you know?" When he did not respond again, the sophisticated man rolled his eyes. "Hmph, I can see you're preoccupied." He elegantly stepped over to the two before taking a gander at Yuneri's face. After a bit of scrutinization, he began scolding her with a glower. "Now that I'm looking closer, your face seriously doesn't have anything on it. Sure, it's beautiful, yet, where is your makeup? A plain face makes you vulnerable. I can excuse the fashion sense due to the uniform, but I can just tell-” There was a pause as his eyes widened. "Are you crying?"

"What?" The tan person widened his eyes as he glanced down to witness her slightly flushed face and wet eyes. She didn't notice that she was about to cry, but everyone else sure as hell did. He clicked his tongue, and she heard it immediately, ignoring all the criticism that was launched her way.

"..." The man remained silent, emerald eyes turning dark. Yuneri had such a terrible feeling that she attempted to escape from his grasp. Unfortunately, not only was she too weak and in an excessive amount of pain, but this person was  _ muscular _ . She could feel the biceps in his arms as he began to squeeze her tighter, fingernails digging into her waist. Honestly, she couldn't believe that she might pass away on her first day.

The other man narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you were the one scaring her. Look at how tightly you're holding her. She seems to be suffocating." There was a slightly concerned expression. "Her skin might become bruised." 

Yuneri vigorously nodded in agreement. She was going to overlook that this person only cared about her skin because he voiced out almost exactly what she was thinking.

"Hurting a woman... Tch." Loosening his grip on her, he carefully placed her down on the floor, attempting to avoid making her wince in pain. On the contrary, she sighed in relief. "...I'm going to have that  _ rat _ as my dinner tonight." He menacingly smirked, eyes shifting on Yuneri, who had already started to realize that her eyes were watery. It was odd as she didn't feel like crying at all. Wiping her tears with her sleeve, she heard his deep voice address her. "You... Just don't move and stay here."

"Someone without magic, yes, it would be better to stay here then, wouldn't it?" The blond man's dyed tips tickled Yuneri's forehead as he bent over. "I'll stay here too, so let's discuss your skin routine."

That sounded much like what she wanted to avoid. Desperate to cut off the conversation, Yuneri landed her gaze on the man with the coffee-colored hair before clearing her throat. He glanced at her with a dark look. 

"Ah... Have fun...?" She carefully brought out her voice before plastering a smile on her face as her eyes steadily met his. Yuneri was going to thank him again, but once should be enough, right? In this case, her thoughts were correct. The man scoffed before the corner of his mouth slightly rose, strolling away shortly after. With a careful glance, she noticed that the man's amethyst eyes were twinkling with unknown intent.

Before he could commit to any actions or words, a louder declaration caught their attention. The attractive and rugged man also halted his tracks, eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"Crowley-sensei, please leave it to me." A man's hand shot up in the air as he declared himself to the enraged man. His voice had a dramatic flair as he spoke. "I'm sure the other students couldn't stomach harassing such a poor creature, so I will take it upon myself to stop it." 

When Yuneri adjusted her sitting position to feel more comfortable, she glanced at the man who voiced his thoughts. The majority of his hair was under his hood, but the glasses over his eyes made her feel something strange. He seemed more ominous with the glass framing his face as the light reflected off of them. She found that the person next to her was also staring at the other one. Albeit, there was an expression of distaste present on his face.

"That's Azul for you. Always trying to score himself some points." The hovering tablet appeared next to the man, its voice snickering. It was at this moment that Yuneri realized that there was most likely a real person who was communicating through the device. She was surprised to know that mortals had advanced so far from a technological standpoint.

The one presumably named Azul merely smiled, neither denying nor confirming the tablet's words.

Yuneri's attention was stolen by the person she had forgotten about, the one she was going to assist. His crimson eyes were panicked as he continued to run around in circles before screaming. "Hey, can someone help me already?!"

She attempted to push herself up as her bones no longer ached terribly, but she was gently pushed back down by the hand of another person. 

The elegant man watched as she fell back down onto the ground with a thud, no one there to catch her for the second time. Her eyes widened as she felt more pain convulse through her bottom. Now she understood what that poor guy was feeling as well. Yuneri raised her chin to thoroughly inspect this man and stare him in the eyes, just now noticing how tall he was. She slightly pouted. "Wha- Now, why would you do that?"

"Does it hurt?" He asked her softly with a smile. When she dubiously nodded her head, he ridiculed her, eyes flickering with amusement. "Why would you think of helping someone else if you can't even stand? Are you foolish?"

She could not comprehend why his expression resembled her God's. It was terrifying, but she did not despise it. If this made her an unusual woman, then so be it. There was a feeling of comfort in her heart. Was she missing that person's essence already?

Yuneri was not as foolish as he claimed. She distinguished that he could read her eyes and where they were focused. She hesitated but did not bring this into the conversation. "...Regardless of that fact, he was striking enough to get my attention. If I don't help him, should I miss the opportunity to reward his efforts?"

Her words left him mute, eyes rounded, and lips forming into a frown. She understood his bafflement. After all, she was copying the manner in which that person spoke, with a childish arrogance and supercilious attitude. 

The man's eyes gaped at her hers in aversion and derision. "That's..." He stepped back and broke the silence, his gaze lingering in the direction of where she desired to head. "Fine then. Do as you please." With this, there were no fleeting glances. He left in the course of where Azul and the tablet stood. She also noticed the man who saved her was similarly in their vicinity, Crowley standing there with an exasperated face as well.


	7. Prologue - Coming to a Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was too difficult for someone like her to handle, and it was disappointing she succumbed so easily.

As she gradually stood up, she felt her legs and bottom throb in pain, but it was nowhere near as sharp as the first few times. By the time she endured her way up, the person whose bottom was on fire had already resolved the situation. "I'm too late," she whispered to herself before shrugging. It didn't hurt to check. She had already made a disastrous impression on one person. A proper one on another would be advantageous.

The minute she had reached him, she could see the person's formerly worn face brightening up. He ran over to Yuneri as she took a step back in surprise, beginning to second guess herself.

"You're that girl, right?" He moved his tanned face closer to hers until their noses were only a few inches apart. She moved back and smiled unnaturally. This person did not get the hint as he followed her movements. Thankfully, he retracted his head in awe, eyes glimmering. "I wasn't wrong, after all. You're super beautiful!"

Yuneri gave a more natural and radiating smile from that compliment before noticing something else. This person with his white hair and crimson eyes, wasn't he also dangerously handsome? Was everyone in this school blessed with overwhelmingly good looks? Notably, that one gentleman with the horns was additionally quite impressive.

In the face of this man, she could only respond accordingly. "Is that so? Well, you also look considerably remarkable." Her diction came out much more formal than she expected, but the other did not mind as he grinned.

"Ahaha, you're making my heart beat," he replied to her before further backing away. Yuneri could not again tell if he was joking or not, but she did not linger. He skillfully changed the subject. "Oh, my name is Kalim! You're, uh, Yun- something, right?"

She did not have hard feelings, for she also struggled with her name. "Yeah, my name is Yuneri. It's nice to meet you, Kalim...-san." Honorifics, they made her hair stand on edge. It was much harder than when naming Crowley, who was much older and easily identifiable. She did not know how old her body was nor how old this person was, so she took a guess. Yuneri hoped it would increase favorability. "In any case, are you alright?"

Kalim tilted his head before staring at her strangely. "Hm? What do you mean?"

"That part of you that, um, caught on fire." There was no reason for her to feel this improper saying the body part. Everyone had one, after all.

With a second of silence, Kalim began to laugh. Yuneri rounded her eyes in confusion, but Kalim smiled. "Yea, I'm fine. I can just get Jamil to fix up my robe when I get back to the dorm." He scratched his neck while Yuneri questioned if this Jamil person was his servant. "Anyway, crazy that there's a girl in the school, huh?"

She was about to agree before a realization struck her like lightning. It had completely slipped her mind. She shook her head in denial before speaking. "I doubt it. I can't use magic, so I will probably be kicked out of this school." Yuneri did not mind if she stayed in the school or not. After all, she was a person who simply followed the flow. Her plan from the beginning could be taken out of the trash and cleaned to exercise again. 

"Aw, that's too bad. I feel like we could've gotten along really well." Kalim made a luminous expression, one that even Yuneri felt blinded by. This person was remarkable to look at. His smile was incredible and brightened up the room. Yuneri scanned the chamber before squinting her eyes.  _ 'Or that may just be the fire...' _

Yuneri laughed slightly. She did not consider herself someone that others undoubtedly got along with, but Kalim was a distinct character. He seemed like a person others would flock to. His energy was unusually sunny and, therefore, quite contagious.

Before he could say anything else to her, she heard Crowley screaming, her and Kalim's conversation interrupted. When she saw him, she grimaced at his temper. He seemed to be a faulty Headmaster, but it made sense as to why he was angered.

"Are you all even listening to me?" He shouted, his eyes transforming into frustrated slits. Although his voice vociferous among the chamber, once again, none paid him any attention. This only further heightened his rage.

The man who had helped her out yawned and crossed his arms. His face was passive and exhausted. "Oi sensei, it's just some stupid raccoon. Why can't you do it yourself?" She could not understand what had happened to that threat he had declared before. Did he no longer care because he was finished minding it?!

Yuneri felt that he had an incurable illness. It was one called uncaring and lazy, but she felt like she was biting the hand of the dog that fed her by insulting him. She kept this impression to herself and forced herself to see the merit in his actions. 

Although, yes, she did agree with him. Was Crowley not all-powerful and magnificent as the Headmaster of a prestigious school? He did claim he was appointed by the head of the Board of Education or something, did he not? Furthermore, Crowley seemed to be incapable of listening to others. He did not respond to Azul nor to the man who had helped her. It was like the person could only hear himself and the chaos around him.

Grim halted his tracks and stared at the tanned man with an outraged glare. The fire in his ears began to emit smoke. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not a tanuki!" He howled. After his outburst, he smirked with his paws reaching to his sides. "The Great Grim, who will become the best magician ever, that would be me!" In response to this, the man was much from the cat's cocky words and excellence at courting death.

Azul crossed his arms and forced his lips into a straight line. "It certainly has courage." He glanced over to the smaller male, the one with ruby-colored hair. "Riddle-san, care to help me?"

That strict boy with the silver eyes named Riddle narrowed his eyes and responded accordingly. "I can't overlook those who break the rules. Let's hurry and get this over with."

She had to admit it. Grim was quicker than she remembered from only a few hours ago. He began to dart around the chamber, pushing others out of the way by colliding into their stomachs as they kneed over in pain. Either this or he would blow fire at them as they had no choice but to flee in terror. Yuneri felt that the best course of action would be to wait it out as the professionals were going to handle it, but she had an irresistible feeling. 

Her eyes were scattered, hands beginning to fidget. She craved the feeling of satisfaction, so she did not hesitate. Her eyes scanned the chaotic chamber before landing on an object of curiosity.

Next to a feminine boy was a half-filled plastic water bottle set on the floor. Yuneri understood that she shouldn't do this. It wasn't as if she didn't have a choice, and it was nothing more than an uncontrollable desire. However, it was as if she demanded this more than warmth itself. These types of things she used to always give into quickly, and that still has not changed.

"Excuse me," she wandered over to a boy with lavender hair and doe eyes before calling out to him. It was all luck that she avoided the several fireballs shooting her way by only a few centimeters. She didn't even notice them.

The person spun his head and narrowed his eyes with a growl. "What do ya' want- I mean, how can I help you?" His tone shifted instantly from his heavy accent. Yuneri acknowledged it was not because she was a woman, but something else. The shorter male tilted his head at her, expression reverting back to its normal state. 

"... Can I have your water bottle?" Yuneri debated speaking to this seemingly ill person, but she couldn't deny it either. Wasn't this child too adorable to be a male? He must be so used to his own beauty that someone of her level would be nothing to him. If she didn't happen to hear his voice, she would've assumed he was a female. There wasn't much to go off of. He seemed to be rough around the edges, contrasting considerably to his appearance.

The boy glanced downwards to the side before furrowing his eyebrows. Is that all this woman wanted? "Erm, that's fine?" He did not bother to ask her what she was going to use it for, but he was a bit curious. It was just that he did not have a good feeling.

She nodded her head. "Thank you." With this, she bent over to pick up the object and casually wandered into the middle of the room, the lavender-haired boy left with a bewildered expression. There was nothing to say, but her hands were itching for some action, so she removed the cap and composedly stood. Although she knew herself well, these cravings were getting much more erratic than they were once before.

Yuneri did not scream or run around. Not only was she too weak, but she didn't want to end up like those others who were still chasing after that cat nearby. She quietly waited for Grim to display his firey torso in front of her. When he finally came rushing by, she did not hold back.

"Haha! You'll never catch me-?!" It was a shower of lukewarm water that drenched his body and stopped him in his tracks. The tanuki's ear fire had almost completely gone out as he stood with his mouth open. Grim darted his chin up as he shrieked at the girl, "What the hell are you doing, human?"

This action caused the room to become almost silent, save for the few that did not get the hint. The two that were chasing after also halted with strange gazes. Yuneri felt that they did not trust her but were impressed nonetheless.

She crossed her arms in question. Yuneri didn't know why she did what she did, but she had no choice but to follow up on her actions with words. Her thirst was quenched, but now she had to make up for the consequences.

She shook her head and sighed, hoping that she would be more than just convincing. "I cannot tell if you are joking or if you are truly a fool. Do you believe that causing chaos would get others to applaud you?" Her translucent eyes surveyed the room before landing back on him. "Instead, it seems to have the opposite intended effect. You have no control over your abilities."

Her God had great control over his abilities, but she couldn't compare everyone to him. That would just be too unfair now, wouldn't it?

Everyone stopped moving. The two that were to corner Grim halted, the chamber filled with silence. The cat blanked out before he snapped back into reality, ready to fry her with his flames. "How dare you-"

"Off with your head!" With those small words, a strange collar appeared on his neck before he could attack her. Yuneri stepped back in caution as she gazed at the accessory with focused eyes. 

"Nyagh! What the heck did you put on me?!" He clawed at the heart-shaped collar as he struggled to get out of the metal object. When Yuneri gazed at the item, she sucked in a breath of cold air. It appeared to be unbearably tight, but she was not able to move closer to conduct an inspection.

It was a repeat of before as her other arm was yanked harshly, empty water bottle dropping to the ground without a second thought. She did not slam onto the person's chest, but she nearly tripped due to the impact. It hurt so much she was beginning to crave death again.

"I told you, didn't I?! Why did you get up on your own?!" He had a familiar voice. Yuneri was afraid to turn her head, but the atmosphere did not allow her to do otherwise. 

Indeed, it was the man who had saved her before. Although it was not him who had saved her this time, he still felt the need to scold her. She acknowledged that he was losing patience, but she did not speak until he spoke again.

Surprisingly, he glanced into her owlish orbs and sighed, letting go of her arm. Yuneri expected him to tighten his hold, but he did no such thing. Instead, he clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned away. She swore she could hear him mutter "whatever," and that baffled her.

Yuneri could not tell if he was worried about her or if he had some sort of obligation to help her. She doubted that first one. In any case, she did not desire to meekly murmur some meaningless words of apology. She wanted to defend herself. Her posture straightened as she spoke. "I moved because I thought that someone needed help-"

He interrupted her with a growl. "Take care of yourself before you worry about others." This man knew that Yuneri couldn't respond, and he was right. She was unable to think of anything to say to him in response. In the end, she stood silently next to him as they watched Riddle and Grim's display.

"Laws of the Queen of Hearts Number 23:  _ One shall never bring a cat into a festival. _ " The ruby-haired boy spoke with a stern tone as he recited what seemed to be a rule from a set of laws that he passionately followed. Tilting his chin upwards, he glanced down upon the tanuki, who continued to scratch at his new collar. "You being a cat means you've broken this rule," he narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "I shall have you leave at once."

Grim's expression turned even more ferocious as he screeched at Riddle. "What did you say to me?! There's no way someone as great as me could be just a cat! Just you watch, I'll burn this collar right up and-" The tanuki's facial color shifted into a pale horror as he suddenly realized something was horribly amiss. "E-Eh? Why can't I use my fire...?"

Riddle held a mocking grin on his countenance as he narrowed his eyes in amusement. "You won't be able to use any magic until I remove the collar, just like an ordinary cat."

For some reason, Yuneri felt a chill in her spine as this person spoke those words. "To think that there was someone who could so effortlessly just seal away one's magic like this..." She dared not imagine what would happen if that person had his magic sealed away. The result would be far too overwhelming.

"W-What? I'm not some pet!" Grim weakly yelled in response. It was clear that he had been easily defeated. For him, there was little point in arguing against someone as overbearing as Riddle.

However, that tanuki's pride likely would not let him back down.

With a sigh, the boy shook his head and raised both of his hands to his waist. His insults were neither light nor refutable. "Don't worry, I'd never keep a pet like you," he spoke straightly before continuing with a slight shrug. "Well, I'll take it off when you get thrown out of the campus." Before anyone else could speak, Riddle mused to himself. "However, I wonder how a cat was able to make its way onto this island... Peculiar."

Yuneri severely hoped that this person was just an anomaly and that none other in the college were as strong as him. If that was so, then unfortunately for Yuneri, she might have to start running for the hills.

That Tsunotarou who's aura was primarily intense, he was likely at an even higher level than Riddle. Fundamentally, Yuneri foresaw an exceptional amount of pain in her future.

The man with the glasses who stood on the side suddenly walked forwards, but not too close. He unintentionally closed the distance between himself and Yuneri, so she could hear his words very clearly.

"Absolutely astonishing as always," he pristinely clapped as his lips complimented the shorter male. "Any and all magic gets sealed by your Unique Magic, Riddle. It's truly a sight."

If Yuneri believed that these superficial compliments were all that would be spoken, she was proven wrong in an instant. Azul's voice lowered, and his tone shifted deeper as he whispered to himself. " **_I want it_ ** ... No, I wouldn't ever want  _ that _ cast on me."

Once again, another horrible chill penetrated Yuneri's fragile corpse. There were many dangerous people here, this person likely being one of them. She shook her head and attempted to fix her robes before her realization. That Azul, he was probably not going to be leaving her side any time soon.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, her attention was shifted and placed onto the seething Headmaster. His glare infiltrated hers as she quietly moved a step back while watching him approach her with an enraged aura.

He stood straight, towering over her with his arms crossed. She did not dare look up and only waited for him to speak. Speaking truthfully, she was afraid that he was planning to push her because even the slightest touch would cause her to go tumbling onto the floor.

Crowley took a deep breath in. "How could you let this happen?! Not only has your familiar caused chaos during a notably major event, but it has also caused slight injury to several of our students!" He rebuked her so vehemently that the entire hall could hear the rage in his voice. His frustration was only heightened when she did not say anything and only stayed silent, head lowered.

"This is completely unacceptable for a new student of our prestigious school. Any familiar that is brought must be tamed and obedient. The owner must also possess the ability to prevent any disasters such as this from occurring." He shook his head before hardening his glare. "As the owner of his familiar, I expect you to completely take responsibility-"

"Dammit, how many times do I have to say it! I'm not that woman's familiar! I met her for the first time today!" Grim roared out as his eyebrows furrowed. "I've seriously never met this person before now!"

“...?” Crowley paused before rethinking back to his first encounter with the creature and the woman. The realization overtook him swiftly. "A-Ah... I do recall something like this... Ahaha..." He immediately cleared his throat and took a few steps away from Yuneri, who did not stir from her spot. Her head was spinning far too much for her to think about movement.

"I'll be gracious for today and won't turn you into tanuki stew." This was directed towards the creature, who had crept into the school and caused such a disastrous scene. "Now, someone hurry and get this beast out of the school." When no one moved, he coughed and repeated himself. " _ Somebody _ ?!" 

Once this command was echoed, a group of students directed by Riddle rushed into the scene and quickly seized Grim by his stubby hands. "Gya! Let go of me, you humans!" Those people swiftly made their way out the large door, all while Grim screamed, his voice getting further and further away until he could no longer be heard. "I'm, I'm going to become the Greatest Magician to have ever existed!"

Once she heard the doors slam shut, there was a sudden pain in Yuneri's head that caused her to stumble. The two people who stood beside her, albeit a bit further than they were before, quickly discerned this.

It was too difficult for her to continue standing, even more so staying conscious. 

"Oh? Are you alright?" The familiar voice of that Azul person instantly entered her ear, but she could barely understand what he was saying. 

When the pain from her head reached her heart like lightning, she realized, "ah, I can't hold on anymore-" So she didn't. She let herself collapse as her eyes closed, merely because she was a weakling who hated pain.

She was convinced that her body was sure to fall to the floor and crack its head open but instead felt the embrace of another, preventing her prediction. She didn't recognize this person's scent, so it probably wasn't that rough person who caught her.

He was slightly leaner, smelled like fresh seawater, and didn't feel as strong as that other person. It was probably that Azul person, but she could barely hear what the others were saying. Yuneri could no longer keep her senses as she drifted off.

"Ah, she just fainted."

"... fainted?!"

"Are... Sure... Alive?!"

"Don't... stupid."

"Bring... Infirmary..."

"Tch... I'll-"

Ah, Yuneri couldn't hear the rest, for she was no longer even slightly conscious.

  
  



	8. Prologue - Getting Comfortable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up in an abandoned building with a familiar fire-breathing creature and ghosts aplenty, one cannot help but feel exasperated.

Her eyes shot open as if she was a child on Christmas morning. Although her head still ached, the room around her caused her even more of a headache. Where was she? If Yuneri remembered correctly, wasn’t there talk of an infirmary? 

The room she rested in was caked in such thick dust that it resembled heavy snow. When she gently moved to sit up, clouds of more dust entered her eyes as she coughed violently, attempting to swat away the particles to no avail. 

When Yuneri was finally able to adjust her vision, she realized that the room was even worse than she first realized. The broken chairs and tables were overturned, cobwebs formed in the corners of the peeling walls and ashy fireplace. Instead of an infirmary, it seemed like she was in a haunted house.

She planned to quickly escape from the building, but when she heard the harsh sounds of rainwater, she peered out the window with a grimace. She was so cold she wanted to throw herself in the fireplace if not for the fact it wasn’t lit. There was no way that Yuneri would be going outside until the rain let up.

Yuneri was about to stand when she heard an oddly familiar voice, one that she thought had hallucinated.

“Hya! You’re finally awake?! I’ve been trying to wake you up for hours but you wouldn’t budge at all! You seriously looked like you were dead!” The voice berated her before it came to a screeching halt. “Nyah?! The roof here is leaking too?! Just my luck.”

She did not want to look down, so she kept her gaze on the window. Maybe if she pretended he wasn’t there, he would disappear solely because he was a figment of her imagination. However, when she felt a cold droplet hit her nose, she knew she had to face the truth.

Reluctantly, she met the azure eyes of the tanuki and frowned. “How did you get here? Weren’t you thrown out by those people?”

“Gyahaha!” He laughed as if she had just asked the stupidest thing he had ever heard. “Obviously, someone as great as me would have no problems sneaking into the school again. If you think that getting thrown out is enough to make me give up, you’ve underestimated me!” Before she could respond to him, another droplet of water flew into his fiery ear. It emitted a bit of smoke, but did not go out completely. “Gya, my adorable ear fire! Hurry and fix the roof with magic!”

After he said this command, there was deafening silence in the room. Only the noise of rainwater collisions sounded. 

Yuneri squinted her eyes before speaking, “Do you not remember the words you said to me?” She tilted her head for dramatics. “I believe it was something like, ah, yes. It was  _ ‘If this useless person can’t use magic, then I’ll take her place,’  _ wasn’t it?”

Grim furrowed his eyebrows before widening his eyes and pointing at her with his paw. “Oh yeah, you can’t use magic!” There was a condescending smirk on his face. “How useless.”

Yuneri carefully stood up, stumbling before catching her balance. She looked down on the tanuki and slightly smiled. “I’m sorry that I’m useless in this situation, but aren’t you the one who nearly scorched several people alive?” She stretched her body with a yawn, eyes lightly sparkling. “I’d rather be useless than a menace to society.”

_ ‘Hmm, to stop a leak in the roof, you should find something to patch up the hole.’ _

“Geh-” His ear twitched as another waterdrop fell onto his head. As he watched Yuneri walk away, he quietly began to panic, eyes darting back and forth from portrait to portrait. “W-wait! The Great Grim is coming with you! Hold on right there!”

Surprisingly, the haunted house was truly like a haunted mansion. It was large with several floors up and doors lining the halls. Yuneri had no issues with places like these, but she wasn't sure if her body could take anymore of the cold. She was hoping for matches or a warm blanket at the very least.

Unfortunately, she only saw thin sheets covered in dust and likely had a few insects hidden too. However, she did find a few filthy buckets lined with dirt and grime. Grim walked behind her with a strange look on his face. Yuneri picked up the empty buckets and turned around to face the creature. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“To be honest, your face doesn’t match the creepiness of this rundown place. It’s kinda funny.”

She did not know if this was an insult or a compliment, so she took it as both.

They walked back to the room, but Yuneri realized that she was really weak. Well, she already knew this, especially after she had trouble opening a door of all things, but it was worse than she thought. She was carrying three empty buckets made of light plastic, so they must’ve not weighed anything at all.

However, she was actually struggling to carry them? She really needed to gain some muscle, or really anything that would help her out in the long run. Did she even remember how to exercise correctly? Was there even a correct way of exercising in the first place?

“Oi, why are you just standing there like stale tuna? Hurry and put the buckets down!”

“Oh, of course.” She felt that there was something wrong with the way he used his words, but she didn’t have the energy to comment. Turning around after she had placed the buckets, she looked at the fireplace in disappointment. There were already logs scattered about, but if she just had some matches or even a lighter-

Her gaze fell on Grim who was busy pushing one of the buckets to another area with leakage. He quietly sneezed and sniffled after, so Yuneri felt that he wouldn’t be opposed to her idea either. She coughed gently. “Are you cold?”

He shivered in response. “There’s a bad draft in here. It’s so freaking cold!”

“Then you should light the fire with your magic.” The fireplace entered both of their gazes, and even if Grim’s words were a bit brash, he definitely believed it was a good idea. If not, his eyes wouldn’t be glistening as they were now. “But I really hope you don’t accidentally burn down the place. Then, we wouldn’t have a place to stay.”

“Nyah, don’t tell me what to do lady! I’ll light up that fireplace perfectly. Just watch!”

Surprisingly true to his words, Grim was able to light the few logs already in the fireplace with just enough power. Yuneri let out the breath she was holding in relief, legs moving her to sit in front of the blue fire with the tanuki. They both had self-satisfied expressions. “Ah~”

The atmosphere was warm and comfortable, so it couldn’t help but slip out of her vermillion lips. “Why are you so intent on getting into this school anyway? The headmaster is more like a mascot and I’m personally doubting the prestige.”

“That’s simple. I’m the genius destined to become the strongest magician! I’ve been waiting for the Ebony Carriage to come and pick me up, but...” He trailed off, blue fire reflecting in his eyes. “Hmph! That stupid mirror doesn’t have an eye for talent. I mean, it brought you, didn’t it?”

“...” She chose to ignore his last statement. “Is that why you came here on your own?”

“Yeah, humans just don’t get it. A world without me is too much of a loss. They wouldn’t see good tuna even if it was flying in front of their faces.” Grim’s posture slumped, his gaze seemed to be slightly downcast. That atmosphere was warm, but no longer comfortable.

She shouldn’t have asked that question.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she raced through her mind to find a way to fix their feelings, but she wasn’t equipped to deal with the emotions of somebody she barely knew. However, Yuneri had spotted a pack of playing cards on top of the fireplace, but she didn’t think they’d be useful. Yet, in this awkward situation, wasn’t it the best solution? 

“Grim, do you know how to play cards?

His ears perked up.

“Any sevens?”

The sounds of a fire crackling and the slight shuffle of cards blended into the background raindrops.

“Go Fish.”

“Fgyah! Dammit! One more round!” Grim threw his cards onto the floor in frustration. They had both won the same amount of games, so now they were truly at a tie. Yuneri carefully gathered the cards and shuffled them with her amateur skills.

When deciding which card game to play, she sincerely felt that a kid’s game would be most appropriate. Not to mention that there were only the two of them. They couldn’t very much begin gambling, now could they?   
  


As Yuneri passed out the cards, she asked the tanuki another pressing question. “Actually, how did I get here? Who brought me to this place and why didn’t we go to the infirmary?”

Grim swiftly took up his cards and squinted his eyes at them before answering her question. “Hah? How would I know? By the time I got here, you were already passed out dead on the-?!”

Yuneri waited for him to continue his sentence, but his words were stuck in his throat. Her glance landed above the cards and onto the suddenly pale and sweaty Grim’s face. His eyes were widened in what seemed to be fear, so Yuneri did not feel so good either. “What’s wrong?”

“Hehehe~ We haven’t had a guest in so long….”

She furrowed her eyebrows and turned around with an understanding expression.

It was just a couple of ghosts.

“G-GHOOOOOSTSSS! GYAH!” When Grim shrilled, the ghosts all laughed at his reaction. He quickly ran to jump onto Yuneri’s lap, but she looked at him as if he was stupid. He met her gaze and scrunched his face. “H-Hey, why aren’t you scared!? T-There’s ghosts b-behind you! G-GHOSTS!”

Of course Yuneri wouldn’t be scared by something like this. Ghosts weren’t vengeful spirits, and these didn’t seem to have any ill intent. Generally speaking, she didn’t get the feeling of impending doom. The only issue was that they gave off a very cold temperature, so she couldn’t help but shiver in their presence.

They must’ve mistook it for fear.

“The people living here got scared of us and left.”

“We’ve actually been looking for more ghost pals. Do you wanna join us?”

Hmm, maybe she was wrong.

Grim slowly wobbled straight as his voice shook. “Y-you damn ghosts, the Great Grim isn’t afraid of you! Watch this- Fgnya!”

Yuneri pulled his tail, causing him to trip and fall over on his face, The ghosts once again laughed at his expense and she frowned. Her voice was laced with disappointment. “Were you closing your eyes while you were going to summon fire? Imagine what would happen if you actually burned this place down?” She let go of his trident-shaped tail. “It’s still raining, you know?”

“Better listen to the girly, we don’t wanna be without a home either,” the plump ghost snickered as he circled the two on the floor. “Anyway, what are you guys doing? Playing cards? Can we join too?”

Yuneri didn’t know whether to decline or agree, but when she realized that there were three ghosts in total, she immediately nodded her head. Grim rounded his eyes and looked at her bewildered. “H-Hey, are we really playing cards with g-ghosts?”

“Of course we are. We can’t exclude anyone.” Now that there were five people in total, the possibilities were endless. They could play straight poker if they had chips, old maid, even blackjack! Obviously, inviting the ghosts to play would be the most suitable answer.

She just hoped they would be able to pick up the cards.

Grim’s gaze upon her was incredulous, but with the way that the ghost with the long eyelashes was staring at him, he didn’t dare say anything.

Yuneri took all the cards and smiled, “I’ll teach you how to play my favorite gambling- erm, card game, so listen closely.”

The explanation was long, but she didn’t dare skip out on any important parts. Wherever she played this game with that person, he’d always beat her effortly so much so that she believed he was cheating. Of course, she would never confront him about this, but playing with people at her level would help her reduce stress.

Surprisingly, the ghosts and Grim understood the rules well and by the time they knew it, they were already on their sixth round. 

They found chips in one of the several rooms and used those to play. Yuneri as the dealer, everyone else against her. She wasn’t that good, but they were worse. It was only the skinny ghost that kept winning over and over again to the point where Yuneri believed that he might be that person in disguise.

“New game, new game! Ok, I bet 30!”

“50!”

“45.”

“82!”

Yuneri raised her eyebrow at the pretty ghost. “Oddly specific number, but I’ll take it.”

However, before they could continue the game, footsteps appeared behind them. Yuneri and Grim looked behind them, the ghosts vanishing instantly. The shared look between the girl and the tanuki was knowing, but they didn’t say anything, only edging closer to the fire. They sucked in a breath of cold air together.

“Good evening! It’s nice to see that you’re awake. I have graciously brought you tonight’s dinner from the cafeteria as I am-” The man stepped back in shock before pointing at the tanuki with one of his golden claws. “How-? You are the monster that caused chaos from the Entrance Ceremony! How did you get back in here?!”

“It’s just the bird man!” Grim did not hesitate to stand up after realizing this. In return, his arrogant expression returned to his face and he placed his paws under his waist. “Haha, did you think I could be stopped so easily? The Great Grim never gives up!”

Crowley put down the bag of food onto the only standing couch and prepared himself to catch the tanuki who in turn, also prepared himself to summon his fire. Yuneri felt something very bad was going to happen, so she quickly spoke, “Ah, wait a minute!”

They both stopped and turned to her with baffled expressions.

She pointed to Grim and explained, “Wait, I need him.” This did not help her case at all, so she attempted to continue. “So, you see, eh, it’s very cold at night here and I was only able to make this fire because of him.”

“Although it’s true that this building doesn’t have any heat…” Crowley did not look convinced. “We have the fire faes here, so there is no reason for it to be freezing in temperature.”

Yuneri scrunched her forehead. Fire faes? If there were fire faes, why did she not feel any heat? It was outrageous!

She thought about his words and looked down at Grim who seemed ready to either flee or burn the place down with everyone inside of it. Suddenly, she thought of an idea that would’ve never worked without this body.

“But you see, I’m a weak woman without magic in a school full of male magicians. To deny me of protection, it would reflect poorly on your reputation.” Honestly, she was completely pulling this out of her ass, but with the expression that Crowley made when she brought up “reputation,” she might’ve really done something.

He narrowed his eyes to think before nodding. “I suppose that makes sense. It’s too late to bring you back home. Indeed, for tonight, I can let you stay here with that tanuki.”

“Eh, really?!” Grim’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

However, Yuneri was feeling much different. “Bring me back home?” She asked both to him and herself.

“Yes. Of course, we cannot let a magicless person attend classes here at a prestigious school meant for magicians,” he explained. “So early tomorrow morning before classes begin, I’ll ask you to meet me in the Mirror Chamber so that I may send you back to where you came from.”

Although Grim seemed to only be hearing the things he wanted to hear, Yuneri took all of it in. There was no way that she’d actually be brought back to that hellish space, right? Not when it had only been a few hours since she had gotten here. That would make this experience a ridiculous waste of time.

Regardless, she forced a smile and nodded her head. “Alright, that’s fine.”

Grim snapped out of his daze and quickly wanted Crowley to repeat himself. “I can really stay? Nyah, you’re super serious?!”

Crowley scrunched his forehead and pursed his lips. “Yes, but only for the night. Once the lady goes home, you’ll be escorted out without further notice.”

He wasn’t discouraged and instead, laughed arrogantly. He sneered, “I’ll show you, I’ll prove to you that I’m the best thing that’ll ever happen to his place. That way, you won’t be able to kick me out no matter what!”

Crowley did not bother to entertain him and looked directly towards Yuneri.

She did not know when she had stood up, so she swiftly sat back down before asking, “What, or rather, where am I?”

“This is the Ramshackle Dorm,” he explained. “Although abandoned with prankster ghosts running amuck, it is still suitable and will keep you out of the rain for the time being. It thought it was the best fit for you, someone who I did not know when would wake up.”

Yuneri scrunched her face before rapidly firing more questions. “What? Why didn’t you bring me to the infirmary instead of an abandoned building? Where is your logic? Are we still in the school?”

“Ah...Ha…” Crowley began to sweat, but answered the first question with restraint. “Well, it seems the nurse was out...? Hmm, yes, I wanted to make sure that you would be left alone as you recovered in your unconscious state… The amount of magicians in the school is not little, so this was the best option… As I am gracious!” He suddenly laughed heartily.

Yuneri: “...”

Grim: “...”

The ghosts in hiding: “...”

“Ahem,” he coughed awkwardly before looking away. “Now that we’ve figured everything out, I’ll excuse myself and leave you all to uh, do whatever it is that a cat and a girl may do in their free time. Rest up and meet me in the mirror chamber tomorrow morning so we may send you home. Goodnight!”

With this, he sauntered away, coat fluttering like feathers, and left the others in the room completely still and dead silent. It was only the water droplets from the leaking roof that caused any sound.

Yuneri and Grim glanced at each other silently before splitting the dinner they had received from the Headmaster. In only a few minutes, the cheery atmosphere had returned and the ghosts had rejoined them.

“Another game, nyah!”

* * *

**_“Touch… The… Blot…”_ **

  
  
  



	9. Prologue - Nicknames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuneri is the Naming Master, but her surprise in endless.

“Better wake up! Laze around all day and you might never wake up again~”

“...zzz”

“Just like us, ehehe!”

“...?!”

Yuneri once again found herself on the same dusty couch, but was suddenly blinded by the light streaming through the windows. Grim’s body was stretched out on the floor as he mumbled to himself about magicians and tuna. Near him, several cards scattered around on the floor, the fire having already extinguished hours before.

She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles and blinked rapidly, darting her eyes around the room, her heartbeat finally calming down upon realization of yesterday’s events. 

Being thrown into a whole new world, embarrassing herself countless times in front of an entire school population, having contact with a crazed little thing, wasn’t this way too excessive?

Yuneri took a look at the three ghosts before narrowing her eyes, attempting to figure out which one of them it was that said that she may, ahem,  _ “never wake up again” _ . 

The plump ghost swirled around her, Yuneri’s eyes following his figure. “Better get to the Mirror Chamber so that you can get home.” He quietly smiled. “Otherwise, you might be stuck here with us... Forever!”

“... I did have something to do this morning, didn’t I?” She swallowed her complaints and sighed. She couldn’t bring herself to argue, the morning grogginess plaguing her mind. “Em, thank you for waking me up… Wait, do you have names or should I resort to calling you all Ghost #1, #2, and #3?” 

The ghost with the longer eyelashes flew closer to her and shook his head. “We haven't been called our names in over a hundred years.” There was a pause in his words. “Why don’t you name us?”

The other ghosts all nodded in agreement, slight smiles present of their faces. Yuneri raised an eyebrow and copied their expressions.

“Done.” There was no hesitation, and she instantly decided then and there that, from plumpest to thinnest ghost, they would be called, “Ichi, Ni, and San.” In response, the three ghosts, including the skinniest one, who was poking at Grim’s sleeping torso, stopped in their tracks.

Yuneri was well aware that these names weren’t full of thought and had deep meanings behind them, but she found it better than calling them “the ghost who bets strange numbers in card games” or “the ghost who likes to emerge from the floor”. It was more convenient, albeit a little careless, but still convenient nonetheless.

She expected that the ghosts would either complain about the names or laugh at how foolish they sounded, however, that wasn’t the case. They stayed in their places and stared at her as if she was a rare creature from under the sea.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t know she had no talent in giving nicknames and naming others, but the silence was beginning to become unbearable. She coughed lightly and attempted to get the conversation moving. “...Should we wait for Grim to wake up? I doubt he’ll be any better, but-”

Without warning, the three ghosts suddenly began to laugh at her. The bewilderment in her eyes was apparent, but quickly went away after a sigh.

San flipped over multiple times like an acrobatic, eyes squinted while grinning.“Sorry, what did you say? Ahaha!” 

“...”

“It’s so  _ bad _ , that it’s  _ good _ !” Ichi seemed to be wheezing on the floor, unable to float any longer. “That’s hilarious!”

Her face began to flush and she realized that she wasn’t nearly as shameless as she believed herself to be. Glancing at Grim, her face displayed only surprise. How was he able to sleep through the shrill laughter of three various ghosts? Was he that deep of a sleeper? How could she achieve that level of peace?

The ghosts finally began to calm down, and spoke with breaths in between.“I like it a lot.” Beaming, Ni nodded his head. “It’s a completely negligent and sloppy name that’s obviously mocking us, but I don’t hate it at all.” 

“If you know that it’s so impetuous, why do you say that you like it so much?” Them liking her naming skills, it was completely out of her expectations.

“Well,” Ichi started, “I guess it feels nice to be given a name? Hm, I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s not a bad feeling. Sort of fuzzy and all that.”

Yuneri furrowed her eyebrows. What did “fuzzy” mean? 

“Anyway, you better get to the mirror chamber before the Headmaster gets angry. You gotta appeal to his gracious side~”

Without much thought in her head, Yuneri quickly nodded and stood up with a slight stumble. She walked past Grim, opting to let the tanuki sleep in before fiddling with the door.

However, before she could leave, a few voices echoed behind her.

“Thanks!”

“Thank you~!”

“Ehehe~ We appreciate it a lot.”

The door slammed shut behind her before she could say anything, but it was loud and clear. She obviously knew what they were talking about, but she started to feel a little strange, and a little warm as well. 

A flower bloomed in her chest.

_ ‘Ah, this must be that so-called “fuzzy” feeling…’ _

* * *

To be honest, Yuneri had no idea how to get to the mirror chamber. For a person who had no idea how to get to the school, it was a miracle that she had somehow stumbled her way into some courtyard through a few neatly trimmed bushes.

Even with her horrible sense of direction, she was certain she was in some vicinity of the school, but she had no idea specifically  _ where  _ she was or  _ how  _ to get to the place she required to be.

Even worse, there was no one in the area, save for a slightly strange-looking person she could see walking along the finished pathways. 

He was short in stature, hair like charcoal with streaks the color of carnations. In terms of clothing, he wore a large striped bow and a green vest underneath a black blazer atop his shoulders. He, to Yuneri, had the appearance like one she had never seen before, but she chalked it up to developments in the modern world.

However, she was a bit concerned by the fact that he had small protruding  _ fangs  _ in place of his canines. At first she believed he looked like a porcelain doll, but he seemed more like a vampire the more she stared at him. Eh, but weren’t vampires fictional creatures?

Just as she was about to turn her head back to take another look at him, he suddenly disappeared from the place in which he once was. She tilted her head and shrugged before turning around-

No, scratch that. She didn’t turn around at all.

“I was feeling a person’s burning stare, but I did not think that it would be the lovely lady from the Entrance Ceremony.”

“...!”

She let out a silent scream after she sucked in a breath of cold air. That boy with the raspberry red eyes and light green eyeshadow to contrast, why was he suddenly standing behind her like he was going to kill her?!

“Ufufu~” He chucked at her frozen expression before taking a step back. “I must have scared you. Apologies for that, but I was interested to see who it was that was, ahem, burning a hole into my back.”

It took a minute before Yuneri was fully able to regain her composure. The person behind her waited quietly, but she felt even more unnerved by his patience. Taking in a deep breath, she finally turned around after taking a few steps away from him.

The moment she faced him, his lips slightly parted upon, hand supporting his chin as he tilted his head.

“Ah, um, I’m sorry for that. However,” she returned his gaze, “aren’t you the one who owns eyes that bore into me as of right now?”

“Ha, I suppose that is true, yet as a being far older than you…” He tilted his chin upwards before swiftly grabbing her hand and pulling it towards him, startling her out of her balance. “One who's seen the rise and fall of several rulers…”

He caught her waist and whispered in her ear with a much deeper voice than which his face would suggest, “Yes, in this fleeting moment, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes upon.”

  
  



	10. Prologue - More Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the midst of the chaos, she had forgotten to ask him. Thankfully, there was another close by.

If Yuneri was in her own body, she would’ve become so flustered that she might have panicked and actually fainted. However, in the body she was in now, of course she knew it was beautiful to a fault, but it wasn’t as if it was  _ actually _ her own body.

In terms of an appropriate response, maybe being too arrogant would be the wrong choice. Especially in front of a person who had an aura of a wise and learned man.

His embrace was tight enough in which she couldn’t escape, but couldn’t be considered suffocating. As a result, she had to wait for him to let go, wondering what words may give her the desired result. “Do you think I’m beautiful? I see.” She carefully regained her balance by putting her arms around his shorter torso. “If you say this type of thing to every woman you see, I wonder if you truly mean it in this moment.”

The boy chuckled, grip slightly loosening. Yuneri swifty took advantage of this action and moved far back, causing him to smile mischievously.

Once she finally stumbled into balance, her breath began to steady and her heart no longer beat wildly. She was finally able to return his gaze as an equal, though she had been slightly taller than him from the moment in which they first met. She took another step back for caution.

“Lilia Vanrouge,” he beamed. “That would be my name. The lovely lady’s would be…?”

She blinked. Disregarding the fact that his name was also very vampire-esque in accordance to his appearance, her voice rapidly responded as if practiced. “Yuneri. That-That would be my name.”

He nodded, a smile never leaving his face. However, a flicker of unknown intent flashed past his eyes, almost as if she had imagined it all. He started, “Then, little Yuneri, I must ask you, have you realized-”

A bell rang in the distance, Lilia’s mouth forming a straight line as he glanced over at where the sound came from. “Ah, the bell has already rung, and I haven’t found Malleus yet. I wonder… Where could he have gone on the first day?” Returning back to Yuneri, he placed a childish smile on his face before speaking. “Unfortunately, we’ll have to cut our conversation short.”

He took the back of her hand, pressing his lips against her cold skin. She rounded her eyes, a shiver traveling through her spine. “You-” She paused before she could finish her sentence, not quite exactly knowing how to respond to his actions. As expected, she was still not used to physical affection from strangers.

“Little Yuneri, may we meet again under more lenient conditions. Farewell.” With this, he vanished into thin air, just like that person she had met in the library. What was with these people and disappearing as if they had never been there in the first place? Also, he never finished his inquiry, so she was left in the dark until the next time they would meet.

“...”

Ah. She had completely forgotten to ask him where the Mirror Chamber was.

With a deep sigh, Yuneri could only continue on, attempting to find her own way without any help at all. She was too caught up in her surprise, so she would have to train herself to stop that in the future.

Of course, the next person she saw was a person she didn’t dare ignore. Giving herself a few seconds to prepare, she immediately dashed towards the student without restraint. Sure, she almost fell over, but she really felt she was running late!

Her voice called out as she ran, for she was afraid that he would leave her in the dust. “Excuse me! Ah, the person with the wolf -?... Wolf ears!” He was too fast! 

The person in question furrowed his eyebrows, pausing his jog while his vision found its place on the girl who was stumbling clumsily over to him. Watching her nearly fall because of her rush startled him, but she caught herself in time. He let out a sigh that he didn’t realize he was holding.

Yuneri stopped a few feet away from him, hunched over while catching her breath. This action lasted for several seconds, so the taller boy was beginning to feel awkward. If he left, would the consequences be bearable?

“...Is there something you need from me?” His voice was rough, deep and baritone. “I was on a morning run.” This person, Yuneri really felt that he seemed a little annoyed. Her nerves were beginning to falter.

However, finding her way to the Mirror Chamber was a bit more important in her heart.

Finding her strength, Yuneri was finally able to stand up straight. Since she was the one who interrupted him, her words were chosen to be more amicable and pleasing. After all, this person didn’t scare her ever-living soul out of this body and into the void.

The second that her face was in view, his sharp amber gaze froze on her face, unable to look away.

As for Yuneri, she forced herself to tear her eyes away from his ears and found that his hair was a wild silver, jumpsuit charcoal black with orange accents. Just as he had said, he was on a morning run, slight sweat dripping down his neck. 

Maybe she would one day too be able to run without stopping every three seconds.

The boy was tall, about a head more than her. After speaking to Lilia, who she was actually a few inches taller then, she felt this was far too much of a difference…  _ ‘Eh, what a fluffy looking tail.’ _

Realizing that she may have been staring for too long, she quickly took a step back before speaking.“En, that’s right,” she nodded. “Could you give me some directions to the Mirror Chamber? I’ve been wandering around for a bit, and I seem to be a little lost.”

“...”

He did not speak.

She tried again, thinking that maybe he didn’t hear her. “...Sorry, was I not loud enough? Do you know how to get to the Mirror Chamber?”

The boy abruptly blinked, forcing his gaze away from hers as he stared at the ground. He refused to look at her, but answered her question regardless of that fact. “I’m a first year, so I can’t give you anything detailed,” he paused. “But there should be a hall that connects to that courtyard over there. If you go through that, you’ll be able to find the Mirror Chamber.”

Whether it was because he had crippling social anxiety or her face was too blinding, she was fine with either explanation. With a bow that nearly split her back, she smiled slightly after her posture returned straight. “Thank you very much.”

Yuneri successfully refrained from calling this nice person a strange nickname, and she was immensely proud of herself for that fact. 

The boy stiffly nodded and continued jogging as if the interaction hadn’t even happened in the first place. As for Yuneri, she needed to get to that dastardly Mirror Chamber as quickly as this weak body could take her.

Ah, her back was really hurting!

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If there's anything that seems off to you, for example I have incorrect facts in my story and haven't done enough research, please do not hesitate to tell me in the comments. It would be greatly appreciated.


End file.
